Commander (1)

Commander: Arixmethes, Slumbering Isle

Sorcery (4)

Planeswalker (1)

Instant (1)


Sideboard


“That is not dead which can eternal lie / And with strange aeons even death may die.”

- H.P. Lovecraft

"Dread Marit Lage lies dreaming, not dead" - as does Arixmethes, Slumbering Isle. Those familiar with Theros lore will recall that Arixmethes is so large that he is frequently mistaken for an island to the extent that, while he slumbered, an entire city was built on his back. Awakening, as the planeswalker Kiora battled the sea god Thassa, he wrought destruction beyond any the hapless citizens of the "island" had ever known.

The idea of this deck is to wreak similar destruction upon one's opponents by summoning some of the most terrifying denizens from the depths of sea and forest. Yes the mana-curve is high, but Arixmethes' ability to act as a land until awakened lets you jump from four to six mana instantly and the deck has plenty of Sorceries and Enchantments to bolster your mana pool, plus Selvala, Heart of the Wilds. Better still, Ojer Kaslem, Deepest Growth  , Quest for Ula's Temple, Rashmi, Eternities Crafter, Kenessos, Priest of Thassa, and Sledge-Class Seedship lets one bring creatures directly to battlefield, while the Planar Bridge summons whatever monsters one wishes. The rest depends on what terrors you draw: the various flyers and creatures with Reach protect you from an aerial assault, while Nadir Kraken, Kiora, the Crashing Wave, Sandwurm Convergence, and Koma, Cosmos Serpent can drown you opponents in a sea of teeth and writhing tentacles - all of which make for good blockers allowing your titans to attack without worrying over defense. To say nothing of the unspeakably annoying powers of the Hullbreaker Horror. And if all these mighty beasts are not enough, eventually Arixmethes will awake and you can loose him on your foes - letting you and cast Ghalta, Primal Hunger for free and instantly activate the 10+ power of Dawnsire, Sunstar Dreadnought. But it is the waking of dread Marit Lage herself that is of course the special thrill, for when she stirs from the Dark Depths the games ends for all who stand against you.

This deck has great flavor because, like the works of H.P. Lovecraft who put the Ts in tentacled terrors, yours opponents suffer a sense of looming dread as, slowly, Arixmethes awakens from his slumber; and if defeated, being the commander, is recast sleeping only to gradually awaken anew. "That is not dead which can eternal lie." Better yet, other cards also provide this aura of surfacing horror: Ominous Seas, Dark Depths, Quest for Ula's Temple again, Kiora, the Crashing Wave as you build up to her ultimate, and Ojer Pakpatiq, Deepest Epoch   plus his sister Ojer Kaslem, Deepest Growth   as they return from death. In fact, this deck's name is a quote from Lovecraft.

The Card Draw is decent too: Sab-Sunen, Luxa Embodied, Garruk's Uprising, Thassa, God of the Sea, Stormsurge Kraken, Sphinx of Magosi, Shapers of Nature, and Selvala, Heart of the Wilds all either draw cards or scry.

Alternate Commanders are Koma, Cosmos Serpent, Rashmi, Eternities Crafter, Sab-Sunen, Luxa Embodied, and Kenessos, Priest of Thassa.

"It serves as evidence of the ancient power of the deep, a reminder that the sea is the only thing worthy of reverence." - Runo Stromkirk

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91% Casual

Competitive