Roon of the Hidden Realm Primer (Commander / EDH MTG Deck)

Roon of the Hidden Realm Primer

Commander / EDH GWU (Bant) Infinite Combo Value Engine

ririve

Land (28)

Tutors (9)

Untappers (3)

Interaction (13)

Blink Effects (11)

Flashy Plays (5)

Boardwipes (3)

C-C-Combo (2)

Panharmonicon (1)

1x Panharmonicon

Commander (1)

Ramp (12)

Card Draw/Selection (10)

Recursion (2)

Sideboard

Other (7)

Maybeboard

Other (2)

Introduction

Good morning/evening/afternoon and welcome to my take on a Roon of the Hidden Realm blink deck. I am an avid watcher of The Command Zone and a lot of the concepts I subscribe to come from there, combined with a bit of experience. I first made this deck in 2017 after I bought the Derevi, Empyrial Tactician deck off of a friend who'd bought the Anthology. I played with it for a while, then took it apart, but rebuilt it in fall 2018. I played it almost exclusively for over 2 years, slowly making adjustments and tweaks, which has turned it into the well-oiled value machine it is today. I used to eschew playing infinite combos, but that lead to a pretty miserable playstyle that took ages to close out once it won, so I added some in.

The Theme

So, let's start with what the deck is about. Blinking (or flickering) is exiling a permanent from the battlefield to then put it back, either immediately, or later. The deck abuses this by using powerful enter the battlefield (ETB) effects which cost a lot of mana, but are reusable at the low cost of only or , as well as triggering effects at no loss of cards, thereby creating card advantage.

At time of writing, there are, according to edhrec, five commanders capable of blinking; Roon of the Hidden Realm , Brago, King Eternal , Yorion, Sky Nomad , Emiel the Blessed and Aminatou, the Fateshifter , but Ephara, God of the Polis and Yarok, the Desecrated are also used sometimes to head a Blink deck (Yarok is often built less around reusing the ETB effects, which is why I wouldn’t call him a Blink commander necessarily). Out of these, Roon and Brago are the most popular, but Aminatou and Yorion are starting to get some attention as well.

Why Roon?

The obvious answer would be: Because he can blink, but there's more to it than that. The observant among you may have compared the two most popular blink commanders and come to the conclusion that Brago, King Eternal seems a smidge better. He can blink all your creatures, as well as any other nonland permanent, in one turn, which is a lot of value and power in one card. Thankfully for us Roon players, Roon of the Hidden Realm has three advantages that Brago doesn't have.

1. Roon's ability is an activated ability which he can use at instant speed, while Brago can only blink upon dealing damage because he uses a triggered ability. This means you can use it to save your other creatures from a boardwipe or removal as well as react to a changing board state without having to untap first. This directly leads into the next advantage.

2. Roon can blink other people's creatures. This doesn't sound that great, but it's an amazing political tool. Just keeping open your mana makes combat go all weird. He does a decent Maze of Ith impression, is capable of disrupting combo's and even pretend to be some kind of pseudo- Counterspell against some cards (looking at you Jeleva, Nephalia's Scourge ).

3. Roon has in his color identity. It has been memed to death recently that green is the most powerful color in magic now, but with every set it becomes more obvious that the color of growth is also the color of power creep. It adds powerful ramp, card draw and tutor effects that can’t easily be substituted for in other colors.

One tiny note about Roon is that his ability brings something back at the beginning of the next end step, meaning that if you activate him during the end step, the creature won't come back immediately, but rather at the end of the next turn. With a bit of experience, this is also something you can abuse.

Card Choices

So, let’s get into the why I put these specific cards in the deck. A few little disclaimers, though;

Firstly, I'm still missing a few cards, mostly for financial reasons ( Mana Drain and Misty Rainforest are expensive and I have to pay rent now).

Secondly, the mana curve of this deck and the individual cards are chosen keeping in mind that you want to be able to use Roon's ability every turn, so most of the time you have to pretend that you have two less mana than you actually do. This also means that 1 and 2 CMC instants are better than 3 CMC ones, simply because the deck is inherently better at keeping open two mana than three.

And finally, A lot of cards I put in are here due to the metagame I play in. We are a relatively fast commander table, with games often being decided around turn 6 to 8, sometimes earlier, but we are far from cEDH. Because of this I play few expensive cards (Mana-wise). We are also fairly light on creatures, so cards like Dovin's Veto and Swan Song hit most of the problematic targets. The bit to take away here is that you will want to change cards in your deck based on the meta that you play in. You might prefer Time Wipe or Supreme Verdict over Bane of Progress if there are few artifacts and enchantments in your meta and maybe Woodfall Primus is amazing in your playgroup, because you can find the time to play it.

Now that that's covered, let's get into the list.

Land

We'll start with the boring category.

I play a total of 39 lands in the deck (I count the dual faced modal cards as lands), because I want to hit all my land drops at least the first 4 turns. A lot of people cut lands when they find exciting new cards, but being able to play Roon of the Hidden Realm on curve is very important for a smooth game, so I advise against cutting lands. (I only ever once cut a land and it was for Mana Crypt , which kinda functions like a land.

The 28 cards in the Land category are simply for fixing mana. I play 7 basics to fetch up with cards like Farhaven Elf and as few taplands as possible. Important in this deck is the ability to make , because of Eldrazi Displacer , so painlands ( Yavimaya Coast ) and filter lands ( Flooded Grove ) are actually fairly important ( Reflecting Pool can reflect the ability to make as well). The same goes for dual lands with basic land types like Breeding Pool , because you can fetch them up with Wood Elves and Farseek . The reason I’m playing the Snow lands is simply because I think Eldraine Wonderland looks cool, but it is technically game-theory optimal to play Snow basics, in the most pointless of ways.

Notable cards I'm not playing are the original dual lands, Prismatic Vista and Misty Rainforest , simply because I haven't won the lottery. If you have them or prefer cardboard to food, put them in, they’re great.

If you are on a budget I recommend playing a lot of basics, because untapped lands are great (not that you can’t play any tapped lands, but be mindful), and at least one Wastes to fulfil Eldrazi Displacer ’s need for , the card’s busted.

Blink Effects

The goal of the deck is to blink creatures for value and the occasional bit of trickery. Roon of the Hidden Realm does it all, but sometimes he gets killed or you simply want another blink per turn. Fear not, there's plenty of cards that make for amazing redundancy, sometimes even better than the big rhino himself.

Brago, King Eternal : The fourth 'hidden' reason to play Roon over Brago; Roon can play Brago, but Brago can't play Roon. All jokes aside, this card is amazing and one of the most powerful cards in the deck. Free blinks are very good, especially in multiples. Having Brago stick for two combat steps is often enough to catapult you into the lead, even with just one blink target on board. He’s also very good with Sol Ring , Carpet of Flowers and Vivien, Champion of the Wilds . Amazing in the opening hand, because it can replace Roon in the early game. He is also very good to play on 6 mana, keeping open for Roon.

Deadeye Navigator : People used to want this card banned. I don’t think it’s remotely powerful enough for that, but it’s definitely good. It protects itself and is cheap to activate, if not to play. It’s cost really does hold it back and I have played many iterations of the deck without this card. With the addition of the infinite combos, it made a triumphant return as one of the win conditions. It’s probably the second worst card in the opening hand, though.

Eerie Interlude : It's no secret that Teferi's Protection is disgustingly powerful. Now imagine a Protection that also triggers all your ETB's. It is not quite as safe, because you can still get damaged and targeted and your noncreatures aren’t safe, but boy can this be a swing. It synergizes especially well with Eternal Witness , basically making you immune to boardwipes, which are one of the biggest setbacks for this deck. It can also be used proactively, but you need a lot of ETB's or a very important one for that to be a good move. You'd like to see this every game, so it's good in the opener, as turn five or six is a relatively common turn to see board wipes.

Eldrazi Displacer : Deadeye Navigator ’s little brother. Displacer is very much like the ferryman, but only half as expensive. Granted, the ability is more expensive and is a bit harder to get than , but with a proper manabase you should be able to get two activations per turn in the lategame. It is also capable of tapping blockers, disrupting opponents and it's one of the few cards that immediately returns its target, doing nasty stuff with the interactive cards in the deck. Bad in the opener though, it's no early game card.

Emiel the Blessed : A shiny new toy from that one set that went mostly forgotten due to our viral friend. It’s Eldrazi Displacer but more expensive. Treading the middle ground between Displacer and Deadeye Navigator , It does come with the most upsides among the three of them. It’s the easiest to active due to having no color restriction and is capable of pumping your creatures a little if you have excess mana. It also has a special place in my heart due to sharing his name with my father. Still bad in the opener (dad isn’t a morning person either).

Ghostway : Basically another Eerie Interlude . It does return stolen creatures to your opponents, so be careful. Good in the opener.

Glasspool Mimic : Yes okay, this isn't technically a Blink Effect, but it does function as one in the sense that it reactivates an ETB you already have. I'm not normally a fan of Clone -style effects, but it being a land just makes it to versatile to ignore. Good in the opener but does enter tapped.

Soulherder : Seb McKinnon’s Soulherder . How is this only three mana? Like Brago, this one quickly snowballs you and has the added benefit of becoming a great blocker/attacker after only a few turns. Additionaly it has amazing art. Mwah, cheff's kiss. Quite good in the opener and with the right supporting cards ( Charming Prince , Coiling Oracle , Watcher for Tomorrow ) it can leave your opponents in the dust.

Thassa, Deep-Dwelling : The second incardnation (sorry) of Thassa and boy does she pull her weight; a four mana, indestructible Conjurer's Closet , that can also be searched up with creature tutors. Just like Soulherder, she’s good in the opening hand with the right supporting cards, especially cheap ramp like Sol Ring or Carpet of Flowers to get her out early. Also don’t forget her “flavortext”; tapping blockers is great to kill of pesky planeswalkers or sneak in a kill and tapping attackers can be a good way of gaining some life or bullying Kaalia of the Vast .

Yorion, Sky Nomad : Unfortunately not playable as a companion, but still a very good card. Blinks your whole board when it comes down and powers up your other blink effects to do the same. Notable cards I'm not playing are:

Mistmeadow Witch : Eldrazi Displacer , but more expensive in activation cost and the creature stays away for a while. Just a little too expensive to see play these days.

Angel of Condemnation : Just as expensive to activate as Eldrazi Displacer , but slower (as it has to tap), can only be used once and doesn’t give it back immediately.

Venser, the Sojourner : At five mana it is not cheap, but a blink a turn is still very good. Making your creatures unblockable is a fine ability, but nothing to write home about. The big problem is that he very often just dies after one or two turns, because the threat of his incredibly powerful ult. If you do manage to get his ult of, you probably win that game, though.

Conjurer's Closet : It’s Venser, the Sojourner , but it doesn’t die in combat. It must be great then? Not so, unfortunately. With the introduction of two cards that have this effect for a lower cost, and on creatures (this deck loves creatures) it has just been replaced.

Flickerwisp , Charming Prince and Restoration Angel because paying a card to blink just one creature doesn't feel impactful enough. Of these, Angel is the better one by far, flash can very impactful, but both feel mostly like downgrades from Glasspool Mimic .

Ephemerate , Momentary Blink and all the other instant Blink Effects; some number of these is tempting, especially with Spellseeker in the deck, but I just can't seem to find room for them next to Eerie Interlude and Ghostway . If I were to play one it probalby would be Ephemerate .

If you are on a budget, a lot of these cards are probably still within you price range (they are also the hardest to replace), but both Mistmeadow Witch and Angel of Condemnation are very good and very cheap. The instant Blink Effects can also be very strong, but don’t put in too many.

Ramp

One of the cornerstones of any Commander deck. You always want to see at least one ramp card in your opener. I prefer 3 and less CMC ramp cards, because they curve me nicely into a turn four Roon of the Hidden Realm and I prefer land ramp over mana rocks and dorks (other than the stupidly powerful ones, of course), because they don't get destroyed as easily. This is also an area where Roon shines, because of cards like Farhaven Elf being blinkable for extra value. The golden standard is 10 ramp cards in a deck, but I like going a little higher.

Ancient Tomb : One of two ramp lands in the deck, Ancient Tomb is one of the more powerful cards in the format. With its reprint in Ultimate Masters its price has gone down a bit, to the point where I felt comfortable picking it up. It being a land frees up a card slot for other purposes, which is greatly appreciated, and it synergizes with the 3 CMC mana elves for great early ramp. Amazing in the opener.

Carpet of Flowers : Sol Ring is great and in most playgroups this is a better Sol Ring. Sometimes you'll be at a table where no-one plays blue and you are sad, but the upside is just too high. Amazing in the opener.

Dryad Arbor : Okay, not technically a ramp card, but it's still why it's in the deck. The trick here lies in Green Sun's Zenith , where you can pay just , with the Being . Because Dryad Arbor is a green creature with CMC , you can actually fetch it up, making your Zenith do a good Llanowar Elves impression. It does die to boardwipes, though, and as it does have summoning sickness it is just a tapped Forest in the opener.

Elvish Rejuvenator : One of the strongest things Roon does is give you mana advantage through the four ETB mana elves. Rejuvenator is the weakest of the four I play because it can miss, but can get utility lands, which is a nice litte extra. Amazing in the opener.

Farhaven Elf : Another one. Farhaven does it all; ramp, mana fix. Amazing in the opener.

Farseek : Cheap, efficient and can get funny if you get a turn three Brago, King Eternal . Amazing in the opener.

Krosan Verge : The second ramp land. Good in the opener, but you do want an ETB creature on turn two or five if you get this, otherwise you lose too much tempo.

Llanowar Visionary : It’s both card draw and ramp. This card does everything you want in this deck. It ramps you into an early Roon and can then be used to dig for interaction and better draws. Amazing in the opener, this card can singlehandedly make a mediocre hand keepable.

Mana Crypt : Goodbye money, goodbye food, hello Crypt. I did it, I splurged. Easily the best ramp card in the format. It enables a turn two Roon when combined with Elvish Rejuvenator , Farhaven Elf , Springbloom Druid , or Wood Elves Can theoretically kill you, but if you have this out for that amount of time, you should have already won. Amazing in the opener, but be careful with your colours, as this doesn’t fix you.

Smothering Tithe : One of the greatest white staples. I have trouble finding a spot for this, because it doesn’t ramp me into Roon, but its raw power can’t be denied. Good in the opener, but only if you have other ramp/powerful things to do early, because it doesn’t ramp you into an early Roon. I find it’s best played after Roon.

Sol Ring : The tried and true, good ol' Sol Ring. Can get you a turn three Roon, which speeds up your gameplan by a full turn and leaves your opponents in the dust. However, just like Mana Crypt , it doesn’t fix you. Amazing.

Wood Elves : The best of the 3 CMC Elves, Wood Elves is just Nature's Lore on a stick. It can get any forest in the deck (even Dryad Arbor if you need a blocker or have a Guardian Project out), getting you great fixing on top of the ramp. The land also enters untapped, so you can have some pretty explosive turns if you have more than one way of blinking it. Amazing in the opener.

Notable cards I'm not playing:

Solemn Simulacrum : Its 4 CMC makes the sad robot even sadder, because it doesn't help you get an early Roon. With the printing of Elvish Rejuvenator and Llanowar Visionary , it is just no longer necessary to play. Goodbye, you beautiful creature, you've served me well :'(

Springbloom Druid : on paper this is all I want on a card, but it’s the weakest among the 3 mana ramp elves and I have more options now.

Cultivate and Kodama's Reach : very good cards, but there are only so many slots in the deck. The Mana Elves and the untappers are capable of doing more than these and Farseek has the ability to give you a 4 CMC play on turn three, where a Cultivate would make you pass turn two most of the time.

About half of these are pennies, but this category also contains some of the most expensive cards in the deck. The best budget options are Springbloom Druid , Sakura-Tribe Elder , Cultivate , Kodama's Reach and Rampant Growth , but almost all ramp is acceptable as long as it’s or less.

Card Draw/Selection

The second of the Great Commander Pillars is the ability for the deck to draw cards. Especially important for a deck like this, that requires answers to remain relevant. It's just the gas that keeps you going. I'll also be talking about some cards that are not DRAW per sé, but card selection, as I feel they are close enough together. You once again want about ten. I have slightly less here, because a lot my Tutors and some other cards function as draw as well.

Cloudblazer : Draw two, gain two. This is one of the big payoffs for playing a blink deck. Simple, but effective. Good in the opener, but only if you have the ramp to back it up.

Coiling Oracle : Another cheap creature that works out lovely on curve. Like Augury Owl drawing only one card is not what you want to be doing with your one blink per turn, but it has the added benefit of ramping you a little if you do. Keep in mind that any cards drawn through this are public knowledge. Good in the opener, but don't delude yourself in thinking this is ramp, because more often than not it hits nonlands. Amazing in the opener if you also have Brago, King Eternal or Soulherder .

Ephara, God of the Polis : Allows you to blink other creatures and still draw cards. Going turn three Farhaven Elf into turn four Roon of the Hidden Realm into turn five Ephara, blinking the Elves sets you up for smooth sailing. Her being Indestructible is a nice benefit and her being a creature while in the deck allows her to be tutored up with for example Worldly Tutor and, which is something you pretty often want to do. Good in the opener.

Guardian Project : Another Ephara. A little better because it draws the card immediately and draws more cards if you have multiple creatures enter, a tiny bit worse because it's not indestructible. Overall a great card. Good in the opener.

Mulldrifter : This card draws you two more cards. And later it lets you take two cards from your deck and add them to your hand. And then it allows you to draw two cards from your deck. Just a solid card. The ETB is slightly worse than Cloudblazer 's, but it makes up for it by being divination when you don't have the mana. There's also some hidden synergy with Roon. If you play it for its evoke cost, you can blink it with the sacrifice trigger still on the stack, turning into a five mana Opportunity that leaves the Drifter on the board. Good in the opener if you have ramp.

Prime Speaker Zegana : Roon having 4 power means this lady draws you five, which is just ridiculous. You don't have to blink her for her to be amazing. She's one of those cards that gives you more value than you know what to do with, but she isn't good on every boardstate. Being green makes her tutorable with Green Sun's Zenith She's no early play, but still okay in the opener with how swingy she can be.

Sea Gate Restoration : While I think the spell side of this card is hideously overcosted and slow, it’s just an Island that happens to do a bit of damage sometimes and therefore has basically no opportunity cost. A total no-brainer, but it will be a land almost every game. Good in the opener.

Sylvan Library : You never don’t want this. Almost like a free Ponder every turn, with the ability to opt into more draw. As this a grindy deck, don't go ham with the extra draws, because that hurts a lot. Synergizes very well with tutors, ramp spells and fetch lands to see a fresh three every turn. Amazinging in the opener and allows you to keep low land hands.

Turntimber Symbiosis : As with Sea Gate Restoration , the spell side is pretty expensive, but at least a bit higher tempo. I don’t play many expensive creatures in the deck, so it really just replaces a Forest at almost no cost.

Watcher for Tomorrow : This one's great. You should see this as not having an ETB but a Leave the Battlefield instead. Roon's ability becoming Impulse is just dumb. Superb card that just gets you what you need. Good in the opener.

Notable cards I'm not playing:

Rhystic Study : I don’t actually this card is as good as the EDH collective believes. It’s still very good, but I don’t find it to be an auto include. I’ve tried it and it just works out poorly on curve, as you want to be ramping on three and playing Roon on four, so when this comes down on five, it’s way too easy for opponents to pay the .

Soul of the Harvest : Ephara, God of the Polis and Guardian Project are amazing but this falls short. Two extra mana is a lot, especially if you have to keep two open every turn.

Tishana, Voice of Thunder : Is more expensive than Prime Speaker Zegana and generally draws fewer cards. Bleh.

Sphinx of Uthuun : I played this card until recently. The effect is good, but its overcosted.

Blue Sun's Zenith : The amount of mana you have to invest to make this worth is ridiculous. Only good as a wincon if you can create infinite mana.

Wall of Blossoms / Wall of Omens / Ice-Fang Coatl : Using Roon to draw one card is just not really what you want to be doing and there are other cards with marginal upsides over these.

Elite Guardmage : Wall of Omens isn't good and paying more to gain 3 life doesn't make it any more appealing.

Sensei's Divining Top : Often I played this on turn one, activated it on turn two, then curved out so well even without its help that I don't touch it until turn seven or eight. It’s great but feels unnecessary.

Consecrated Sphinx : I’ve been going back and forth over whether or not I should get this. It’s good, but expensive and I don’t really know what to take out.

This is a little hard on a budget but can still be done. If you are on a budget, speed is often less of an issue, so the more expensive cards are better. Soul of the Harvest and Sphinx of Uthuun spring to mind. On the cheaper side you might like Augury Owl . I prefer the Scry 3 to drawing one from Wall of Blossoms but the walls aren’t the worst either.

Boardwipes

Another important category for any commander deck, because allows you to claw yourself back from certain death. I have recently found myself taking some out to make room for more direct interaction, as a by-product of our playgroup having become a little faster.

Bane of Progress : This card just locks out artifact decks and enchantment decks alike. Because it takes out all their stuff and creates a huge creature this is a massive tempo swing that leaves your opponents reeling. Blink it for extra salt. Okay in the opener.

Cyclonic Rift : Yeah, we know this one. Massive tempo swing and doubly fun when you start recurring it with Eternal Witness . The best wipe in the deck, mostly because you can tutor for it with Spellseeker . Okay in the opener.

Ondu Inversion : The removal of boardwipes does not extend to lands that also happen to be boardwipes. This one makes the cut by never being a dead draw. It can bring you back from the brink during the lategame, but is also an okay card in the opener as a tapped plains.

Notable cards I'm not playing:

Austere Command : I used to say that you can’t cast Austere Command and not come out on top, but recently it’s just seemed like a non-reusable Bane of Progress . In a different meta (one with a lot of tokens for example) I would still 100% play this.

Cleansing Nova : Another boardwipe I think is great, but in my playgroup just doesn’t make the cut anymore.

Wrath of God : Cheap-ish but doesn’t do much. A relic of a bygone age. Just doesn't hold up to modern wrath's anymore.

Supreme Verdict and Time Wipe : Our playgroup is not super heavy on the creatures and I don't like killing off my own board. Good cards in the right meta.

Rout : I love this card, but it just barely doesn't make it onto the list, mostly because Cyclonic Rift is already instant speed and just a lot better. The same creature problems apply here, as well. Budget wise, mostly any wrath will do. Because the games tend to go a little longer, packing some more might be a good idea.

Interaction

The most flexible category, this is highly dependent on your metagame. Some of these cards I feel are absolutely core, however. Most of these are only okay in your opening hand, because it's more important to establish your own gameplan before disrupting your opponents, but having them makes you feel very safe. The faster your meta is, the better these get.

Agent of Treachery : All your cards are belong to me. This is the big blowout “screw you” card. It’s very much a wincon but can definitely fit in as a piece of interaction; it answers opposing threats by making them your threats. Really satisfying to take a planeswalker that’s about to ult or stealing bounce lands if you feel particularly mean that day. Super expensive, so it’s bad in the opener.

Aura Shards : I love bullying my friends. Its true power lies not so much in destroying powerful enchantments and artifacts, but in preventing them from playing them while blowing up mana rocks.

Counterspell : Tried and true. The easy answer to anything, as long as you have mana open, which in this deck you should. Counterspells are good because they prevent anything problematic from hitting the board, with the exception of cast triggers. Recurring this a lot can help with your softlock. Okay in the opener.

Dovin's Veto : Yum, more counterspells. Being able to literally Veto an opponent's spell is amazing, especially against dirty combo players. Okay in the opener.

Gilded Drake : Watch out, it's mister Steal yo Girl. Can be used as a creature removal spell, but when you get going you just steal everything on board. Quite expensive (money wise), but makes for good stories, like that time I killed a friend with his own Vraska the Unseen Assassin token. Good times. Depending on what decks you are facing this goes from okay to good in the opener, as some decks that would normally be threatening to you become worthless without their commander.

Glen Elendra Archmage : Counterspells are good, but they get even better when you have an infinite amount of them. Blinking the Archmage resets the -1/-1 counter, making it reusable. Okay in the opener, but if you can play it on turn five or six while keeping Roon up, it can really establish your board by dissuading boardwipes.

Hullbreacher : New, shiny and disgusting. This lovely (?) merfolk can shut down entire game plans and ramp you by a significant margin in the process. It's a huge target and makes you one as well, but its power can't be denied. Okay in the opener.

Mana Drain : My second copy of Counterspell . Really, while the upside of gaining you mana is very good and can definitely win you games on occasion, the fact this is just another no-questions-asked two mana counterspell is the real reason it’s here. Okay in the opener.

Reflector Mage : Removing an enemy commander and making it so they can't play it for a turn cycle can be a massive blowout and/or tempo swing. Even if they let it go to the command zone, they can't replay it for a turn. Just a solid card. Okay in the opener.

Scavenging Ooze : This one is a little weird. The games it's good it's amazing, but when it doesn't do much it... well, doesn't do much. Still one of the best graveyard hate cards in the format and now that I finally found room to play it, I do. How good it is in the opening highly depends on what your opponents are playing.

Skyclave Apparition : Such versatility at such a low cost. Any nonland permanent! The fact it only hits CMC 4 or less doesn't feel like a big drawback in a world of Sol Ring and Rhystic Study . There's some things it misses for sure, but I feel it's a must have for these kinds of decks. Good in the opener, as it can hit pretty much anything early on.

Swan Song : Heiki, hecchara! It'll almost certainly be all right when you have this in your hand. One mana counterspells are generally not amazing due to their drawbacks or narrow uses, but Bird hitting three card types is just amazing. Giving your opponent a 2/2 flier is nearly irrelevant, especially because Roon's ability kills tokens if you really have to. Also, I can never pass up an opportunity to promote Symphogear. Good in the opener due to its minimal cost.

Venser, Shaper Savant : Baby Venser can return any permanent or spell to their owner's hand. Great for getting rid of pesky commanders and Overloaded Cyclonic Rift s alike. Not great against ramp decks and decks with a lot of cheap cards, which is currently meta where I play, but just barely makes the cut by also being a combo finisher. Okay in the opener.

Wickerbough Elder : This is, in my opinion, the best artifact/enchantment hate card you can play in Roon. You only have to be Torpor Orb ’ed once to start hating every ETB removal card in the deck, and this gets around that. It also has the notable upside of being instant speed due to its activated ability. It can still be reused after a blink because it gets its -1/-1 counter back.

Notable cards I'm not playing:

Only Agent of Treachery , Gilded Drake , Glen Elendra Archmage and Skyclave Apparition are core in my opinion (budget notwithstanding), although with Spellseeker you do want at least one 2 mana counterspell in the deck. Feel free to experiment with any of these cards below. All of them have a place in the right deck/meta.

Acidic Slime : I actually won this promo during an FNM, so I’m very proud of it. I don’t actually think it’s the best noncreature hate-card in these colours,that honour goes to Wickerbough Elder , but if there are a lot of problematic lands, this is great.

Force of Will and Mana Drain : Force is one of the best counterspells in the format, but the low CMC of the counterspell package I'm playing allows them to be fetched up by Spellseeker and they are better if you want to keep recurring them with Eternal Witness . Still a good card. Drain should be in the deck, as it's just a better Counterspell , but is expensive enough I haven't gotten around to getting it yet.

Gaddock Teeg : Gaddock doesn't make friends, which is a good reason to not play him. He is very good, but I don’t like the reactions (both gameplaywise and emotionally) he provokes.

Perplexing Chimera : All the reasons that apply to Gaddock Teeg apply here, but it’s five mana and even more hateable.

Beast Within and Generous Gift : I've played Beast for a long time and it's a great card as it hits any permanent, but I just find I have enough/better answers. Them being 3 CMC makes it harder to keep open the mana for these and they are not tutorable by Spellseeker . If only Bant had access to Assassin's Trophy .

Krosan Grip : Has a problem similar to Beast Within in that it costs three. The raw power of this card always makes it a consideration, however.

Swords to Plowshares : The golden standard for EDH removal. Unfortunately, we are a creature-light metagame, so this just doesn't warrant a slot as a noncreature-spell.

Strip Mine : I kinda want this, but playing more colourless lands makes me feel uncomfortable.

Lavinia of the Tenth : The Azorius just don't allow fun. At least, not without the proper paperwork. Very similar to Gaddock Teeg , she makes people mad. She also has the same problem as Scavenging Ooze , in that she’s only good in certain situations/meta’s.

Veil of Summer : Very good, but mostly at defending your own stuff, where I prefer the counterspells' ability to also interfere with my opponents.

Stonehorn Dignitary : A great card in the right meta. Unfortunately, we are not the right meta.

Knight of Autumn : The card is good, but not that good. I’d rather play Acidic Slime for its multifunctionality. Mangara of Corondor and Fiend Hunter : Slow and clunky respectively. Mangara can still be good, even if you don't immediately blink it but the Hunter is a waste of cardboard if you don't play any infinite combo's that involve him (which I don’t think are particularly good anyway).

Duplicant : Reflector Mage and Gilded Drake seem to do a better job of hating on creatures, mostly because they cost so much less.

Frilled Mystic and Mystic Snake : These can be good utility cards that have some neat interactions, but they are pretty expensive for counterspells. Of these, I find snake better due to its synergy with Reveillark .

Angel of Serenity , Diluvian Primordial , Luminate Primordial , Terastodon and Woodfall Primus : Really hard to find the time to get these into play. Seven+ mana is a lot and makes these ridiculously clunky. Diluvian is probably the best out of these and very playable in a spell-heavy metagame.

In budget lists Beast Within , Generous Gift , Swords to Plowshares and Acidic Slime are on my list of recommendations, but you can use a lot of cards you have in your collections. The expensive cards from the previous paragraph can also be very powerful. Just keep in mind that no matter your budget, it’s important to adapt to your local metagame.

Untappers

Blinking one creature per turn with Roon is nice but blinking more is nicer. I’m not playing that many, because I don’t want to be overly reliant on Roon and would rather play some other blink effects.

Kiora's Follower : Untap a permanent, plain and simple. Ramps you or gives you an extra Roon activation. Cheap and tutorable with Green Sun's Zenith on turn three, which is something you often do. Good in the opener.

Minamo, School at Water's Edge : Gives you the ability to untap Roon for additional blinks, without costing a card slot, as it's basically just an Island , so adding it feels very free. For this to do good work you need to be very far ahead, or almost out of gas, though. Good in the opener as a land.

Seedborn Muse : One of the strongest cards in the deck, Seedborn has a high floor and an even higher ceiling. At her worst she represents your mana being permanently open and three additional Roon activations per turn cycle, but when combined with a Flash enabler, you start taking a turn during everyone else's turn. She does require protection and a bit of set-up to truly shine, so she's bad in the opener, especially because she is fairly easy to tutor for when you need her.

Notable cards I'm not playing:

Kiora, Master of the Depths : I played this for a long time and I think it’s great. It is, however, a four mana card that doesn’t impact the board, which in this economy is a hard sell. With the printing of Thassa, Deep-Dwelling , she’s phased out, because they both fulfil a similar role (blinking stuff). Kiora is both card draw and ramp, so keep her in mind. I certainly will.

Vizier of Tumbling Sands : Nice in that you can still ramp even if you don’t have , but if you are missing that you are probably in a bad spot and you shouldn’t have kept that hand. Overall, just a worse Kiora's Follower .

Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner : Just a worse Vizier of Tumbling Sands if you don't count the passive, which rarely comes up as I don't play many creatures with four power or more. The cycling has never been relevant for me either.

For budget lists I recommend Kiora, Master of the Depths and Vizier of Tumbling Sands . Kiora especially is a lot of fun to play with and can be super powerful.

Recursion

Occasionally, boring, fun-hating opponents disrupt your plans by countering spells or sending things to the graveyard. These buddies help you out by getting them back. Also, very good for looping instants and sorceries, or comboing off.

Bala Ged Recovery : Regrowth is already pretty good, but when you staple a land to it on the flipside it just becomes bonkers. Good in the opener but does enter tapped. Eternal Witness : One of the most played green cards in the format, the Witness is even better here due to how easily you can reuse her. Getting back any card that was sent to the yard is great value. Bad in the opener.

Notable cards I'm not playing:

Archaeomancer : Recursion becomes worse the faster the game goes, because you don’t have enough stuff in the yard. Recurring Cyclonic Rift or Eerie Interlude is a lot of fun, but it can’t get back any permanents like Eternal Witness

Karmic Guide : I wasn’t a very big fan of this card when I used it to combo off and without that specific combo in the deck it’s even worse.

Reveillark : The way WOTC balances good ETB creatures is by reducing their statline, so this gets back most of the broken things upon leaving the battlefield. Blink it for value or evoke it after a boardwipe (or some shenanigans with Survival of the Fittest ) for quickly establishing your board presence. Like Archaeomancer , this one is very good, but trying to interact with the yard has just become a tad too slow in our meta.

Sun Titan : Big, Beefy, Strong. A great blocker and attacker that gets you great value. A lot of valuable cards are CMC 3 or less. Can ramp you with fetch lands, get you back Eternal Witness for double the fun. Unfortunately, recently my meta has become too fast for it.

For budget decks I definitely recommend playing Sun Titan . card:Archeomancer is also solid, but you need some powerful instants or sorceries to recur, so it might not be as good.

Flashy Plays

Sorry for the dad-joke. This deck enjoys keeping open mana for answers, but it's also a creature deck, which can only be played on your turn. Do I do one, or the other. As a famous meme once said, why not both. All of these kind of win the game if you combine them with Seedborn Muse .

Alchemist's Refuge : More utility lands, which are always great due to not taking up a spell slot. As a land it's okay in the opener, but not good because it only makes .

Leyline of Anticipation : Just gives all your stuff Flash. Amazing in the opener because it's free!

Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir : Teferi, Time Raveler is a multiformat bane and his non-planeswalker iteration has the same static ability. Him being a creature allows for easy tutoring and having Flash having self means you can sneak it in whenever you like. Okay in the opener.

Vivien, Champion of the Wilds : Yajuu no Yougosha. Vivien, Champion of the Wilds , for those too lazy to look up what she does. I'll be honest, massive anime fan as I am, I was simply looking for an excuse to play one of the Japanese alternate art planeswalkers from War of the Spark. After trying her out, however, she has really grown on me. The plus helps defend herself and the minus is card draw. The Flash she gives to your creatures also makes it scary to attack into her, so she often sticks around. Good in the opener.

Winding Canyons : Another Reserved List card, this is just a weaker Alchemist's Refuge . The Refuge is great, though, so an additional copy is always welcome. Okay in the opener.

Notable cards I’m not playing:

Vedalken Orrery : Josh just doesn't shut up about this card and for good reason. It just has the slight problem that it is the weakest of the Flash enablers and ended up being the one I hated seeing most (drawing duplicate Flash enablers sucks hard).

Panharmonicon

Panharmonicon : There just isn't really another category this goes. Doubles everything you do, which is amazing, but doesn't do anything on its own, which means you have to find time for this. On six mana, or just after a big boardwipe are ideal moments to sneak this in and as such, it's good in the opener.

Notable cards I'm not playing:

Strionic Resonator : Panharmonicon is good. A Panharmonicon you have to pay for and only doubles one trigger is a little less good. Just clunky with how much mana you have to keep open to make work.

Lithoform Engine : it’s Strionic Resonator but more expensive. In fairness, it does more than that but it’s still very expensive. to play, then to be a Resonator or a whopping to make copies of creatures cast. It’s just to slow and it can’t even make copies of things already on the board. The instant copying is also not attractive to this deck.

Bramble Sovereign : The same problem as Strionic Resonator in that it's restrictive trigger cost makes it clunky, but this time without the benefit of costing less than Panharmonicon . Real fun with Sun Titan , though (which I also don’t play).

None of this is budget friendly, so feel free to skip. Panharmonicon is fun and satisfying though, so if you ever feel the urge to splurge, this is probably the card.

Tutors

One of the most powerful things in Magic is having the cards you need, when you need them. Hence, these cards. They are really the glue that holds the deck together and makes it so you always have an answer (or threat) ready. A lot of these can chain together to get any card.

Eladamri's Call : What if Demonic Tutor was an instant? This is not quite as good as it can only get creatures, but it generally gets any effect you want. Can be gotten with Spellseeker . Amazing in the opener, as it replaces almost any effect.

Enlightened Tutor : The card I most often remove for spicy new cards, but then also put back constantly. In the late game you should almost exclusively use it to get Survival of the Fittest to combo off, but it can also get Panharmonicon , Guardian Project , Smothering Tithe or Thassa, Deep-Dwelling in the midgame. Can be gotten with Spellseeker , like every good instant/sorcery in the deck. Good in opening hands, as it can get Carpet of Flowers , Sol Ring , Sylvan Library or Mana Crypt .

Fauna Shaman : Survival of the Fittest is broken, and this is its fixed version. The little elf is one of the weaker tutors due to its summoning sickness, but can be fetched by Green Sun's Zenith or Recruiter of the Guard and is very reusable. Amazing in the opener.

Green Sun's Zenith : Some good came out of Phyrexia after all. Can be looped if you have Spellseeker on the board. Common targets are; for : Dryad Arbor . For : Fauna Shaman , Coiling Oracle and Kiora's Follower . For: Eternal Witness and Llanowar Visionary . For : Wickerbough Elder . For : Seedborn Muse . For : Bane of Progress or Prime Speaker Zegana . Good in the opener.

Recruiter of the Guard : Gets you all the good card draw and a few other bonuses. Prime targets are: Fauna Shaman , Watcher for Tomorrow , Eternal Witness , Hullbreacher , Soulherder , Spellseeker , Glen Elendra Archmage , Venser, Shaper Savant , Mystic Snake , Cloudblazer , Mulldrifter , Bane of Progress and Prime Speaker Zegana . Can singlehandedly set up a value engine by getting Soulherder . Often functions as an additional copy of Spellseeker . Amazing in the opener, can supplant card draw.

Spellseeker : So I've been banging on about this card for the entire primer now. Possibly the best card in the deck (only Seedborn Muse and Survival of the Fittest come close). Just amazing. It naturally alters the deck to be more tutorable by it, and to be better at tutoring for it. You always want to see this. Things you can (and want) to get are: Green Sun's Zenith , Swan Song , Worldly Tutor , Enlightened Tutor , Eladamri's Call , Counterspell , Mana Drain , Cyclonic Rift (which is CMC 2, despite costing seven most of the time) and Dovin's Veto . Amazing in the opener for its flexibility and ability to get card draw.

Survival of the Fittest : Turns any creature card in your hand into a cheaper Eladamri's Call . Turn bad cards good and good cards great for only . One of the contenders for strongest cards in the deck. The primary reason to play non-ETB creatures over non-creature cards and why you never want to go below 35 creature cards. Okay in the opener as you can play it on turn two and get and play Kiora's Follower on turn three, but better saved for later.

Vivien, Monsters' Advocate : Everything you want in a planeswalker. She protects herself and you, ‘draws’ cards from the top of your deck and is capable of tutoring. The primary reason she’s here is her -2, which pretty much wins you the game if you cast Deadeye Navigator or Palinchron . Okay in the opener.

Worldly Tutor : The weakest tutor right now, but its ability to salvage opening hands in addition to its mid/lategame power keeps it just above the threshold. Good in the opener.

Notable cards I'm not playing:

Tooth and Nail : If you play two creatures that win (or close to it) the game when together, you probably play Tooth and Nail. That is what I've been told at least. It is hard to defend due to its cost and horrifically bad in the opening seven. I've tried. I really have.

Shared Summons : Way too expensive, but at least it's an instant, which can't be said for...

Wargate : Paying five mana for a two-drop just isn't worth it.

Fierce Empath : Very cool, but I just don't play enough 6 CMC creatures. If only it could get 5's as well.

Chord of Calling : It having a CMC of three makes it not tutorable by Spellseeker , but it is very strong. Could definitely be in the deck.

Finale of Devastation : Similar issues to Wargate , but less so and it can win games. Might try it out at some point.

Birthing Pod : I played the Pod for quite a while and it was pretty good, but now that artifact hate is so common, if often doesn't live to tutor a second time. I don’t play many good 4-cost ETBs, which weakens the chain and Roon doesn't inherently have the ability to recur creatures, so the creatures you sacrifice too often stay dead.

These cards are among the most powerful but also the most expensive in the deck. You don’t need them nearly as much in more budget-oriented decks, especially if you aren’t playing any combos. I would still recommend Fierce Empath and especially Brutalizer Exarch .

C-C-Combo

This deck was originally combo-less, sort of as a challenge to myself. It was and still is capable of locking opponents out of playing by infinitely counterspelling and recurring Cyclonic Rift . I used to complement this softlock with hate cards like Gaddock Teeg and Lavinia of the Tenth . The result was that once I started winning, it would often take six or more turns to actually close out, and those six turns would be long ones as well. The answer was simple, remove the hate and add the combos to just end the game.

Most of you will have figured out that it’s a Palinchron combo. You need Palinchron or Peregrine Drake , one of Deadeye Navigator , Eldrazi Displacer , or Emiel the Blessed and any card on board or in hand that draws cards when it or other creatures enter the battlefield. By blinking Palinchron for two or three mana, you end up mana positive if you tap your lands first. Keep doing this for infinite mana, then cast and/or blink the card draw card until you find your finisher or a tutor for the finisher, which are Agent of Treachery to steal all permanents including lands or Venser, Shaper Savant to bounce all permanents including lands.

Vivien, Monsters' Advocate can stand in for most of these pieces, as her -2 can get Deadeye Navigator if you cast Palinchron , Peregrine Drake if you cast Deadeye Navigator or Emiel the Blessed if you cast Peregrine Drake and is always capable of getting the card draw or even Venser, Shaper Savant .

This category is not budget friendly, so I recommend reading the Alternate Strategies part.

Other Cards I'm Not Playing

Thassa's Oracle : Very powerful and I used to play it. The thing is, if you can make infinite mana and draw all the cards you want, you can win in many other ways with cards that aren't as bad as this one is when they don't win the game on the spot. I'm currently playing Venser, Shaper Savant in its place.

Teferi's Protection and Heroic Intervention : I tried these, but Eerie Interlude and Ghostway are often just better here. Great cards, but I can't find room for them. Of the two, Intervention is a little better in my opinion because you search for it with Spellseeker .

Thragtusk : As the deck grew more synergistic, strong standalone cards like this grew weaker. Often got stuck in my hand, as five life and a 3/3 just wasn't worth the five mana investment.

Avenger of Zendikar and other token generators: Super slow, and making 1/2's feels lackluster. There certainly are decks these are great in, even Roon decks, but this is not one of them. In a creature-heavy meta these get better, as they generate an endless supply of chump-blockers.

Clone -effects: Get out. Just kidding. I find these to be weak, because they basically do stuff you already do by blinking for a card and much more mana. And if you want to copy an enemy creature, why not just steal it ( Gilded Drake )? Even in budget versions I prefer cards that do stuff over this. Glasspool Mimic is an exeption to this because it is also a land sometimes

Craterhoof Behemoth : I don't go wide enough for this to blow open the game and I have no need for small scale single player burst. Combat ETBs don't synergize well with Roon.

Anything that gives haste: Roon is already five mana. Commander tax is for each death. Activating him costs another . It just costs too much to make this worth it. Lightning Greaves and Swiftfoot Boots can still be worth it if your meta is heavy on creature removal and your Roon is a common target, but the haste a cute bonus at best and a harmful temptation at worst.

How to Pilot

The deck is, much like Magic itself, very simple at its core, but with a lot of little intricacies and interactions.

In the early game, focus on ramp and getting out Roon on turn four at the latest. It is entirely fine to use tutors to get the ramp, especially if you can get a turn three Roon.

Come midgame you will want to use Roon to build yourself a nice, comfy value engine based around ramp and especially card draw. From now on, you will always try to keep open. The advantage of this build is that you can cast almost every instant in the deck with that amount as well, so opponents are never sure they can go all in.

During the lategame you will want to try and abuse your value engine as long as possible. For most games, the longer it goes, the bigger your advantage. When you find a tutor use it to either get a much-needed answer or find that last piece to your combo. It is also possible to draw into Mystic Snake and Deadeye Navigator to endlessly counterspell, Seedborn Muse and a Flash enabler to take three extra turns per turn cycle (or however many opponents you have) or Eternal Witness and Cyclonic Rift to make opponents cry.

In this specific build it’s very important to know exactly which tutors can get what, because with the right tutor chain, you can get pretty much every effect in the deck.

Mulligan Guide

Generally, you want your opening hand to look something like this:

Three lands that create varying amounts of colours based on your ramp.

A Ramp card. If it fixes you, you only need two colours, otherwise three. Shoot for that turn four Roon.

A draw spell. Even weak draw is fine if you have the ramp to back it up.

Either of the two categories above are preferably an ETB effect.

Two filler cards. These can be anything, from more lands to interaction or more ramp/draw.

If you have a cheap tutor ( Fauna Shaman or Survival of the Fittest + a creature, Green Sun's Zenith , Worldly Tutor or Eladamri's Call ) you can forgo either the card draw or ramp. If you have a slower tutor ( Recruiter of the Guard or Spellseeker ) you can forgo the card draw.

The Card Choices section has an evaluation of every card in the opener, divided in four categories: amazing, good, okay and bad. Amazing cards you always want. Good are the type of card you want but are weaker early than the amazing cards. Okay is just that, okay. Doesn't do anything for the opening hand, but you do want to see these cards come midgame. Bad cards are cards that make you sad, like you took a mulligan and are a card down. Mostly these cards are mana hungry.

Things to Watch Out for

Torpor Orb , Tocatli Honor Guard Hushbringer and Hushwing Gryff : These kill your deck. Do everything in your power to remove these. Try to make alliances and deals even if it means setting yourself back, because you can’t win or even really play with these on the board. Keep in mind that three of these are creatures, which you can blink during your turn to still resolve ETBs from creatures you play.

Linvala, Keeper of Silence : Disables Roon and almost all your other Blink Effects, which hampers your plans. Try to remove or steal this, but don't go overboard, as your ETBs still work.

Boardwipes: the deck relies on getting a few valuable ETBs on board with Roon. Don't overextend into a wrath if you can help it. Keep a Counterspell or Ghostway handy for when someone pushes the button.

Alternate Strategies

The current version of my deck uses and infinite combo as a finisher. There are many more ways to build Roon if you don’t like infinite combos however:

Softlock: this was my previous version of Roon. Because I like value and I think Roon is very good at it, it wasn’t quite a stacks deck, but it was certainly capable of preventing my opponents from taking game actions. Like I stated earlier the deck planned on recurring Cyclonic Rift over and over, together with counterspells and hate cards like Gaddock Teeg and Lavinia of the Tenth . Even without the extra hate pieces, well-built Roon decks are always capable of this to some extent, because it’s just an emergent property of the good cards in the archetype and colors. The disadvantage to this is that a lot of the hate pieces don’t help you with your value game, where the combo pieces do (compare Gaddock Teeg with Deadeye Navigator ).

Combat-based: Using cards like Craterhoof Behemoth or Triumph of the Hordes to finish opponents. While Roon doesn’t synergize directly with these, cards like Eldrazi Displacer and Eternal Witness can make you do it over and over again. If you use this strategy, token generators can also be very good to bolster the buffs.

Pure Value: EDH as the Rules Committee intended, with no real one turn kills. Playing a few bigger cards, like Luminate Primordial or Angel of Serenity can be very good for these decks, but they are and always will be very slow. This is where Roon shines brightest however, due to his nearly unparalleled value.

Sideboard

The sideboard reflects the changes I make to the deck if I go to a new group or game store. I generally take out Dovin's Veto and Swan Song to replace them with Austere Command and Stonehorn Dignitary ; just changing some more narrow cards for a better toolbox against strategies my playgroup doesn’t really see. If my opponents are okay with infinite combos, I’ll leave it at that, otherwise I also replace Palinchron , Peregrine Drake , Deadeye Navigator , Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir and Venser, Shaper Savant with Craterhoof Behemoth , Triumph of the Hordes , Thragtusk and Sun Titan and Reveillark .

Some final words: you might look at this deck and think, what a disgusting piece of work. The deck certainly isn’t very friendly, but it’s important to talk with your playgroup what kind of deck you are playing, what everyone is okay with and what they aren’t okay with. Our playgroup has no issue playing infinite combos or counterspells. The key to having fun in Commander is not great friends or powerful decks, but communication, hence the little sideboard. Thanks for listening to my TED Talk. Ciao.

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Date added	5 years
Last updated	3 years
Legality	This deck is not Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	12 - 2 Mythic Rares 58 - 3 Rares 14 - 1 Uncommons 9 - 1 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	3.44
Tokens	Beast 3/3 G, Bird 2/2 U, Illusion / U, Treasure
Folders	Roon, EDH References for My Decks, inspirational/reference, Decks to try, Roon, Decks I like, Decks, EDH, interesting decks
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