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Kaseto, Orochi Archmage

Commander / EDH Budget Card Draw Matters Casual GU (Simic) Snake Tokens

Lord_Edge

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Land (38)

Snake (9)

Token (7)

Removal (6)

HandSizeMatters (5)

Support (4)

Recursion (3)

BoardWipe (2)

Tutor (2)

Orochi (16)

ManaRamp (12)

Shaman (8)

Warrior (6)

Anthem (4)

Deathtouch (4)

Denial (3)

LifeGain (2)

Untap (2)

Commander (1)

Commander: Kaseto, Orochi Archmage

CardDraw (15)

Legendary (8)

Equipment (6)

Beatstick (5)

Counterspell (4)

+1/+1Counters (3)

SacOutlet (3)

Maybeboard

Other (33)

Kaseto, Orochi Archmage: Snakesqueezer Supreme

This budget EDH deck is all about Snakes! Well, specifically Orochi, from the original Kamigawa sets. It uses Kaseto, Orochi Archmage as a form of consistent pressure, keeping opponents on the backfoot while we amass cards.

The goal of this deck is to win via combat, enabled by Kaseto, Orochi Archmage. We have several avenues for achieving this. Primary amongst them is this deck's focus on drawing cards.

We run several "big draw" cards like Stroke of Genius, Glimpse of Nature, and Slate of Ancestry to get a huge hand out of nowhere. Cards like Seshiro the Anointed, Ohran Frostfang, and Broodbirth Viper allow us to draw cards from combat, which is supported by Kaseto, Orochi Archmage's activated ability. We also run some basic, uncondititional draw like Harmonize, Concentrate, and Brainstormfoil.

This large amount of card draw synergizes with certain "handsize matters" threats, like Lorescale Coatl, Inner Calm, Outer Strength, and Empyrial Plate, which go tall, and can really do some damage if they connect with an opponent's face. The unblockable from Kaseto, Orochi Archmage of course helps with this.

If we wish to go wide however, such as through tokens from cards like Orochi Hatchery, Hooded Hydra, and Sosuke's Summons, we can also do quite a bit of damage thanks to anthem-effects from cards like Konda's Banner, Seshiro the Anointed, and Sosuke, Son of Seshirofoil. Just add in some unblockable, and bam! GG.

How do we get all of that mana for Kaseto, Orochi Archmage's ability then? We run several Mana Dorks: Orochi Sustainer, Sachi, Daughter of Seshiro (who also buffs our Snakes' toughness), Sakiko, Mother of Summer, and Sakura-Tribe Springcaller. Orochi Leafcaller also provides us a good source of mana-wash.

When combined with the heaps of card draw we can accumulate (and Seek the Horizon), cards that let us dump extra lands are vital: Explore and Sakura-Tribe Scoutfoil do this, while more traditional ramp, such as Coiling Oracle and Sakura-Tribe Elder assist. We also run a few mana rocks, most notable being Thought Vessel for its additional ability to remove our maximum hand size.

Along the way, we protect ourselves and our board by preventing or removing threats with Negate, Rewind, Mystic Snake, and Overwhelming Intellect, but also can use Naturalize for problem-Artifacts or Enchantments, and combine Deathtouch cards like Ambush Viper and Winged Coatl with pingers like Hankyu and Viridian Longbow.

To help us get to a favorable position, we can run threats like Blade of Selves, Hooded Hydra, Tatsumasa, the Dragon's Fang, Keiga, the Tide Star, and Jugan, the Rising Star to keep opponents on their toes. If we're behind, board wipes and blowout spells like Calming Verse, Evacuation, and Endless Swarm can help us wrestle back advantage, or create a desparate win-condition.

Time of Need, and the ever-versatile Primal Command, let us dig for important creatures, such as Shisato, Whispering Hunter, who can create a soft Lock for an opponent when combined with Kaseto, Orochi Archmage, and effectively doubles our mana with Nature's Will. They can also grab important card draw engines, like Seshiro the Anointed or Ohran Frostfang. They can search for Mystic Snake if we need a counterspell, or Winged Coatl if we need to destroy an attacking creature.

Possible Card Replacements:

  • Replace Harmonize and/or Concentrate w/ Coastal Piracy and/or Bident of Thassa — While I do really like having just solid, plain card draw in this deck, it might not be enough of what we need, actually. Piracy and Bident both provide us a reward for our primary means of gameplay. If you're finding that those cards are actually too slow, then Coastal Piracy and Bident of Thassa are perfectly viable swaps.

  • Replace Overbeing of Myth w/ Brainstormfoil — Overbeing of myth, though one of our major threats, is probably the weakest link, given it is not a Snake... Replacing it with a less theme-bending draw card could work, especially one for cheap, like Brainstorm. We would be missing out on a beater, but that's probably not too bad of a tradeoff if you're struggling to balance out your draws.

  • Replace Ambush Viper w/ Skullwinder — Skullwinder provides some excellent role-compression, being a Snake w/ Deathtouch and providing Recursion! I just really like the Flash on Ambush Viper, and don't appreciate that Skullwinder gives our opponents recursion as well. Your mileage may vary.

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93% Casual

Competitive