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Legality
Format | Legality |
1v1 Commander | Legal |
Archenemy | Legal |
Block Constructed | Legal |
Canadian Highlander | Legal |
Casual | Legal |
Commander / EDH | Legal |
Commander: Rule 0 | Legal |
Custom | 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 |
Lotus Petal
Artifact
, Sacrifice this: Add one mana of any colour.
Icbrgr on
Budget Cycle Storm
1 week ago
Whenever I see Fluctuator it makes me happy; It is my Premodern deck and I ran Gavi, Nest Warden in EDH!
That being said I highly suggest that cards without cycling get reduced to 4 at the most; including basic lands and payoff cards like Songs of the Damned get reduced to just 1 copy because as you cycle with Fluctuator you'll end up drawing cards that don't cycle (like your other copies of fluctuator) and end up fizzling out. Some budget sauce is a single copy of Dromar's Cavern or any land of that cycle (pun indented) is very helpful and can feel like Lotus Petal in this deck.... and Drain Life is another card to consider at a single copy!
P.S. watch out for the Stabilizer Mafia!
shadowjules on
Budget Cycle Storm
1 week ago
Hey QuantumGeckoGuy! Very cool deck man, I tinkered with something like this for a while as well.
I tinkered with a similar concept for ages. Instead of looking to scale with Drannith Stinger and Marauding Mako, mine had a combo win with Lotleth Giant, and a secondary beatdown plan with Hollow One and Chitin Gravestalker. The deck DESPERATELY needs to cut down as much as humanly possible on any card without cycling. I think running Dark Ritual is a mistake, as you can get similar results with 4 copies of Lotus Petal - when churning through your deck, you can combo off so much earlier with you effectively know you can consistently find free bursts of 1 mana to cast Songs of the Damned. The difference between your bursts of mana costing (1) and costing (0) is huge. Running Lotus Petal is extra good when accompanied by a suite of (1) cost cyclers. Drannith Stinger is a good start, but I would run every creature with a (1) mana cycling ability ever printed - it just adds a crazy amount of consistency. I've found that 38 to 40 creatures with cycling in the deck is ideal for a 1 turn combo kill.
Finding lands is extra easy with cards like Troll of Khazad-dum and Oliphaunt. With the amount of cards that cycling lets you see, you really don't want to mulligan. These landcycling cards are huge because they often allow you a turn 1 tutor of a land in the early game (Troll of Khazad-dum gets you Fetid Pools and Oliphaunt gets you Canyon Slough). You can tutor for a land turn one either with an untapped Ash Barrens or the strict upgrade in Capital City that also filters your mana, or again with a turn 1 Lotus Petal. Later in the game, the land cyclers are never dead draws, because they tutor for a dual land, that also ends up cycling away, letting you see more cards and remove more lands from your deck as you combo off.
Crucially for the combo win, Lotleth Giant only cares about creatures in your graveyard, so do keep that in mind when comboing off. I tend to split my graveyard into two piles - 1 with creatures and 1 with noncreature spells (cycled lands, lotus petals, and so on). The combo turn needs to resolve a Songs of the Damned to cast Lotleth Giant usually, but thats not always super hard. A sideboard tech of Miscalculation really helps protect this here. Also 2 Shadow of the Grave is usually enough to stop your deck from running out of steam, especially since you run out of steam after seeing like around 30-40 cards in your deck. Again, Lotus Petal is so useful here.
Finally, I've found that you CAN run 3 fluctuators and not 4 if you're able to have a split of cycling cards with a low enough curve. This deck really wants to minimize the turns it spends not spending mana, so again, Ash Barrens and Capital City not entering tapped is really important, same for your Lotus Petal. These untapped mana sources, along with 1 mana landcyclers and 1 mana cycling creatures gets this deck to be much more consistent and much faster.
Built like this, the Hollow Ones / Chitin Gravestalker Beatdown plan is more of a trick to trip up your opponent rather than a primary win condition. When your opponent plans to counter your big combo turn, dumping 2 4/4s and a 5/4 onto the battlefield really early can be backbreaking. THese are the matchups where something like Drannith Stinger is just a lot less useful as a pinger, and I would think of Marauding Mako and Drannith Stinger as plank cards with cycling rather than win conditions.
This deck has trouble against certain kinds of graveyard hate. It never targets anything in the graveyard, and never looks to play things directly out of your graveyard, so cards like Grafdigger's Cage and Soulless Jailer don't do anything. But cards that exile our whole graveyard or stop cards from getting to the graveyard (Rest in Piece / Leyline of the Void / Soul-Guide Lantern) make the Lolteth gameplan obsolete. Sideboarding in Ominous Seas still turns out cycling card draw into massive beaters, and this can still let us combo into two or three 8/8s to threaten a short clock.
The deck has some potential and honestly is a ton of fun to tinker with. I've been iterating on it for ages myself. Here's my list if you're at all curious (Ignore the silly name and out-of-date descriptions, its a little messy and I started it 5 years ago in high school). Deck: deck-large:cycling-coombo-deck
SaberTech on
Mad World Rising
1 month ago
Thanks for the questions greyninja!
Grazilaxx is a remnant from an older, pre-banning of Dockside cEDH build for the deck. At that time in cEDH people were running Animar as more of a midrange deck because it wasn't fast enough for a turbo build to work well in the meta. I've kept it now that I run the deck as more of a Bracket 4 build and have to face off against more board wipes in the casual meta. It's mostly in the deck as another way of drawing cards to help recover but if an opponent would rather have me bounce back my creatures so that I can put more counters on Animar and get more ETB effects instead of drawing a card, then who am I to argue?
I've generally been pretty happy with Elvish Spirit Guide and Simian Spirit Guide. Like you pointed out, they help to increase the chances of a turn 2 Animar. There have also been times where I was digging through my deck with the help of something like Glimpse of Nature but have completely tapped out to do it. In those cases, having cards like the Guides, Lotus Petal, and Chrome Mox help to give free coloured mana that I might need to help close out the game. In cEDH the guides are a little more useful because they can pay for cards like Red Elemental Blast and Veil of Summer on their own but even in this build they can help to pay for a Wild Cantor or a Talisman so that I have blue mana up for counters to protect Walking Ballista. At 3 mana, the Guides can also be Neoformed into Ancestral Statue.
The 27 lands may not seem like a lot but some of the cEDH builds have even less. Animar doesn't really need many lands to go off considering the various cheap mana dorks and other ramp the deck provides. It is a bit tricky to go that low in lands and can require some aggressive mulligans to get a decent starting hand. While playing though, I've sometimes found that even just 27 lands can result in some mana flooding when I would really rather be drawing spells. The land count is something that you just have to experiment with for your own build to see where that sweet spot is for your own play style.
As for Utopia Sprawl, there are times where it has been a dead draw but it's not that often. Between the Dual Lands, Shock Lands, and Fetch lands in the deck it's not normally that difficult to get access to a land that counts as a forest on turn 1. Using Utopia Sprawl and Wild Growth as ramp synergizes well with Arbor Elf and can also net extra mana with the help of cards like Snap, Deceiver Exarch, and Peregrine Drake.
Kjacobson6800 on
Kaalia, Queen of the Vast
1 month ago
Cool Build. I have a pretty mean Kaalia myself but its rather competitive. Yours looks fun to play I just tested it a few times. Love the Sneak Attack as a backup. Feel free to take a look at mine if you'd like. My only real suggestions after seeing your maybe list is to tune the creatures a bit more and sell that Alpha/Beta D-Tutor ... buy a Chrome Mox. Would leave you with a few $$ to really deck this thing out. Id also be running all 3 Talismans. A revised Demonic tutor is Rather affordable. I run Gamble Demonic Tutor, Enlightened Tutor, Vampiric Tutor, Grim Tutor, And Imperial Seal. More tutors and maybe Steelshaper's Gift to get the Greaves out fast. Diabolic Tutor works just fine to go get an Avacyn or something and get the whole table salty Lotus Petal is clutch too and chronically slept on IMO, especially when it comes to Kaalia... Im pretty sure Jeweled Lotus is banned in EDH now so maybe let that one go too. Necropotence is stupid good in a Kaalia deck, especially if you can get a Reliquary Tower out. As soon as i focused more on tutors, mana rocks, and a few board-wipes Wrath of God Day of Judgment Damn She started going off quick and dirty.Sensei's Divining Top is super helpful too. I wouldn't sleep on Dark Ritual if you're short a Jeska's Will. I slip a Dark Rit in mine from time to time depending on where I'm playing. I also run Armageddon and Catastrophe. Sometimes Winter Orb ...locks everyone down once I have Her out. I Cant tell you how many times Steel Hellkite has won the game for me. Blows up all dorks and keeps opponents rocks at bay. Plus you can grab him with Enlightened tutor. Dragon Mage could work in this to help load up youre Kaalia drops without needing a Wheel of Fortune Solid build!! Ive been tuning mine for years now.
Kjacobson6800 on
Kick off the Riot
2 months ago
Cool build. I love The Lord of Riots. only thing I would really suggest is to add some more mana-rocks. Fellowar stone is pretty solid for the money, especially in multiplayer... Other thoughts---Maybe a Jeska's Will or Dark Ritual ? A couple more signets or talismans? I really like Lotus Petal in any deck and almost always have a couple tutors and boardwipes in the mix. Gamble is super affordable. And considering Rakdos makes your creatures cost less, I could see a rather Jank Wildfire working in here. Cheaper than Damnation . It could potentially clear the board and slow the rest of the table down significantly if you already have your Commander in play. That being said, this is a solid deck for the price and Jund. Nice build!!
jsnrice on
Atraxa, Grand Unifier
2 months ago
Deck Title: Ascension Through Unity – Atraxa cEDH Food Chain
Commander
Atraxa, Grand Unifier
Color Identity:
Introduction
Welcome to Ascension Through Unity, a competitive EDH build centered around Atraxa, Grand Unifier, the ultimate value engine and a uniquely powerful commander that bridges midrange resilience with combo potential. This list leverages the raw card advantage of Atraxa’s ETB trigger to dig for win conditions, interaction, and fast mana — all while supporting a Food Chain combo core.
This deck is tuned for high-level pods and aims to win fast, interact precisely, and grind smart when necessary.
Win Conditions
Primary Wincon:
- Food Chain + Eternal Scourge / Misthollow Griffin / Flesh Duplicate
Infinite creature mana via Food Chain and one of the exile-recurring creatures.
→ Cast Atraxa, Grand Unifier, dig for Thassa's Oracle or Tainted Pact / Demonic Consultation combo.
Backup Wincons:
- Thassa's Oracle + Tainted Pact / Demonic Consultation
- Finale of Devastation for lethal with infinite mana
- Displacer Kitten combos with The One Ring, Teferi, Time Raveler, or mana rocks for infinite value/actions
Notable Synergies
- Atraxa, Grand Unifier ETB + Displacer Kitten: Abuse blink triggers for maximum card filtering and pseudo-storm turns.
- Food Chain + Exile creatures: Efficient engine for infinite mana into Atraxa chains.
- Talion, the Kindly Lord + low-cost spell density = passive draw engine.
- Drannith Magistrate, Opposition Agent, Orcish Bowmasters: Stax elements that don’t disrupt our own lines.
- Archivist of Oghma, Esper Sentinel, Mystic Remora, Rhystic Study: Passive card draw galore.
Staples and Interaction
This deck plays nearly every blue interaction spell you’d expect:
- Free Countermagic: Force of Will, Force of Negation, Pact of Negation, Mindbreak Trap, Flusterstorm
- Removal: Swords to Plowshares, Abrupt Decay, Chain of Vapor, Toxic Deluge, Culling Ritual
- Tutors: Vampiric Tutor, Demonic Tutor, Worldly Tutor, Enlightened Tutor, Imperial Seal
And it runs every relevant fast mana: - Mana Crypt, Lotus Petal, Chrome Mox, Mox Diamond, Mox Opal, Mana Vault, Ancient Tomb
Why Atraxa?
While many commanders offer value, Atraxa’s Grand Unifier trigger is uniquely broken in a deck like this. With a proper build, she can hit:
- A creature (e.g. Eternal Scourge, Deathrite Shaman)
- A non-creature spell (e.g. Demonic Consultation)
- An instant (e.g. Swan Song, An Offer You Can't Refuse)
- A sorcery (e.g. Finale of Devastation)
- An artifact (e.g. Sol Ring)
- An enchantment (e.g. Rhystic Study)
- A planeswalker (e.g. Teferi, Time Raveler)
This makes Atraxa a one-card value engine that refills your hand and pivots you into a win turn with proper sequencing.
Power Level & Goals
This deck is firmly cEDH (power level 9.5–10). It’s built for pods where interaction is heavy, turns are fast, and wins are clean.
You’ll thrive if:
- You can protect Atraxa, Grand Unifier for at least one trigger
- You pilot your combo lines efficiently
- You mulligan aggressively for interaction or ramp
Mulligan Strategy
Look for:
- Turn 1–2 dorks/rocks + tutor
- Food Chain + exile creature opener
- Strong card draw pieces + interaction
- Always mull away clunky high-CMC hands
Weaknesses
- Susceptible to Drannith Magistrate (unless we remove it)
- Hate for graveyard/exile recursion (Rest in Peace, etc.)
- Heavy counterspell matchups if we stumble on mana
Closing Thoughts
Atraxa, Grand Unifier doesn’t just unify card types — she unifies power, control, and combo under one elegantly devastating package. Whether you’re tutoring with efficiency or slamming a turn 4 Food Chain win, this deck rewards mastery and punishes hesitation. Perfect for cEDH players who love versatility and inevitability.
Thanks for reading! Let me know if you want a sideboard package or metagame tweaks.
leovolt884_ on
Dead Metal II: Rage
2 months ago
You can lean hard into Kuldotha Rebirth + Dread Return. I think it's a way more interesting combo than just using Exhume like most reanimator decks. Generally I find pauper reanimator a boring archetype but this could be really cool. Churn through your deck with Faithless Looting, Cathartic Reunion, etc. Play setup cards like Gold Pan to give you an artifact plus more mana and lategame potential equipment. Crashing Drawbridge is a board wide haste enabler, and an artifact if needed. If you want to lean harder into reanimating artifact creatures, Argivian Restoration is a neat reanimator spell. Notably it also ramps you if you target an artifact land which is funny. Cleansing Wildfire can target your indestructible artifact duals to ramp you a basic and draw you a card for 2 mana which is awesome interaction. I would avoid using Exhume
if possible because by giving the opponent a blocker, even if you trample through it, it will make you take longer to kill the opponent and give them more time to remove your threats and disable your deck. It also works against your removal by giving them their scariest cards you already spent resources removing back for free.
Overall I would focus on having fewer but stronger reanimator targets and just using Dread Return + Kuldotha Rebirth. Play some madness cards like Dark Withering, Brain Gorgers, Kitchen Imp, Terminal Agony, Hell Mongrel, Reckless Wurm, etc. That way you're playing cheap aggressive threats with your Dark Ritual's and Lotus Petal's while filling your graveyard with your hyper efficient discard. Less worrying about casting as many reanimation spells and more focus on being aggressive while you set up will get you the damage you need early on to deal with blockers and close the game quicker.
Necramus on
3 months ago
Goldberserkerdragon Okay. I'm adding a few that came to mind:
Charming Prince- blinks, scrys, and can create loops with other blinkers.
Yorion, Sky Nomad - blink birb
Abdel Adrian, Gorion's Ward - blink man that synergizes well with other parts of your deck ala Anointed Procession
Brago, King Eternal - King Blink
Ichor Wellspring - Generic card advantage that plays to the overall gameplan
Emry, Lurker of the Loch - artifact recursion/enables Lotus Petal loops with Displacer Kitten and something like Greaves or TY Elixer if you want to build in a combo
Lotus Petal - great value for 0 that plays to the gameplan and can be replayed fairly easily for mana advantage
Ephemerate - a sneaky instant that gets us value off blink payoffs while serving as a protection spell against targeted removal
Displacer Kitten - a combo engine that actually makes this deck just pop off
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