Queen MarCHESSa

Commander / EDH Lifegain Monarch RBW (Mardu) Theme/Gimmick Tokens

TonJolley

02 Black King (1)

• 1x King Macar, the Gold-Cursed

03 Black Rooks (2)

• 1x Drana, Liberator of Malakir
• 1x Kiku, Night's Flower

04 Black Bishops (2)

• 1x Jerren, Corrupted Bishop  ^Flip
• 1x Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose

05 Black Knights (2)

• 1x Josu Vess, Lich Knight
• 1x Syr Konrad, the Grim

06 Black Pawns (8)

• 1x Blood Artist
• 1x Falkenrath Noble
• 1x Marauding Blight-Priest
• 1x Midnight Reaper
• 1x Morbid Opportunist
• 1x Pawn of Ulamog
• 1x Ruthless Knave
• 1x Zulaport Cutthroat

07 Enchant the Board (13)

• 1x Bastion of Remembrance
• 1x Blind Obedience
• 1x Brave the Sands
• 1x Cleric Class
• 1x Court of Ambition
• 1x Court of Grace
• 1x Dark Prophecy
• 1x Ethereal Absolution
• 1x Ghostly Prison
• 1x Gift of Immortality
• 1x Revenge of Ravens
• 1x Sanguine Bond
• 1x Warlock Class

08 White Queen (1)

• 1x Linden, the Steadfast Queen

09 White King (1)

• 1x Darien, King of Kjeldor

10 White Rooks (2)

• 1x Baird, Steward of Argive
• 1x Brigid, Hero of Kinsbaile

11 White Bishops (2)

• 1x Eight-and-a-Half-Tails
• 1x Mikaeus, the Lunarch

12 White Knights (2)

• 1x Adeline, Resplendent Cathar
• 1x Lena, Selfless Champion

13 White Pawns (8)

• 1x Charming Prince
• 1x Devout Witness
• 1x Impassioned Orator
• 1x Lunarch Veteran  ^Flip
• 1x Mentor of the Meek
• 1x Soul Warden
• 1x Soul's Attendant
• 1x Suture Priest

14 Castling & Promotion (2)

• 1x Crashing Drawbridge
• 1x Divine Visitation

15 Persuasions (5)

• 1x Damn
• 1x Generous Gift
• 1x Kaya's Wrath
• 1x Return to Dust
• 1x Swords to Plowshares

16 Her Majesty's Exchequer (13)

• 1x Arcane Signet
• 1x Bontu's Monument
• 1x Boros Signet
• 1x Charcoal Diamond
• 1x Coveted Jewel
• 1x Marble Diamond
• 1x Oketra's Monument
• 1x Orzhov Signet
• 1x Rakdos Signet
• 1x Savai Crystal
• 1x Talisman of Hierarchy
• 1x Treasure Map  ^Flip
• 1x Wayfarer's Bauble

17 The Chess Board (26)

• 1x Barren Moor
• 1x Bojuka Bog
• 1x Castle Ardenvale
• 1x Castle Locthwain
• 1x Caves of Koilos
• 1x Orzhov Basilica
• 7x Plains
• 1x Scoured Barrens
• 1x Secluded Steppe
• 1x Shineshadow Snarl
• 7x Swamp
• 1x Tainted Field
• 1x Temple of Silence
• 1x Thriving Heath

18 Queen's Quarters (9)

• 1x Command Tower
• 1x Evolving Wilds
• 1x Foreboding Ruins
• 1x Furycalm Snarl
• 2x Mountain
• 1x Path of Ancestry
• 1x Rogue's Passage
• 1x Throne of the High City

Commander (1)

---

Maybeboard

Chess Cards not in the deck atm. See Descrition (4)

• 1x Divine Gambit
• 1x Sacrifice Play
• 1x Scrambleverse
• 1x Wild Evocation

Chess Pieces Replaced (9)

• 1x Custodi Soulcaller
• 1x Eldrazi Displacer
• 1x Flickerwisp
• 1x Livio, Oathsworn Sentinel
• 1x Pitiless Plunderer
• 1x Serene Steward
• 1x Skullport Merchant
• 1x Syr Alin, the Lion's Claw
• 1x Vindictive Vampire

Didn't Make the Cut (15)

• 1x Authority of the Consuls
• 1x Dawn of Hope
• 1x Debtors' Knell
• 1x Fell the Mighty
• 1x Flickerform
• 1x Greed
• 1x Inkshield
• 1x Marchesa's Decree
• 1x Nomad Outpost
• 1x Revel in Riches
• 1x Skullclamp
• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Solemn Simulacrum
• 1x Thriving Moor
• 1x Well of Lost Dreams

Flavor (5)

• 1x Archon of Coronation
• 1x Crown of Doom
• 1x Crown of Empires
• 1x Scepter of Empires
• 1x Throne of Empires

Other (8)

• 1x Attrition
• 1x Austere Command
• 1x Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief
• 1x Extinction Event
• 1x Merciless Eviction
• 1x Oblation
• 1x Ravnica at War
• 1x Swords to Plowshares

---

Here is what The Monarch does for those not aware. "At the beginning of your End Step, draw a card. Whenever a creature deals combat damage to you, its controller becomes the monarch."

The Board

This deck was inspired by the game of chess! I did my best to make the creatures fit their respective role. Card art persuaded some choices, too. Some pieces (black rooks) didn't have many Legendries to offer. Maybe that will change! Here was my reasoning:

• keep the deck monocolored.
• Eldraine cycles were nice (Sorry Ayara and Syr Alin).
• Power Pieces must be Legendary.
• NO RED! This is chess after all.
• Pawns were more liberal in effect (white gains life while black likes it when things die).
• Knights must be knights. Sorry Syr Alin, but you don't have a horse.
• Bishops must be clerics.
• Rooks ...did their best. Not many Legendary walls. "Long Range" concepts, removal, and holding off attacks were the deciding factors.
• Kings and Queens must have "King" or "Queen" in their name.

Power Level

I have always wanted to make a Queen Marchesa deck for some time now, but I wanted one that would stand out. This is a casual, if not jank deck, that aims focuses on traditional Orzhov pinging and being the Monarch.

Wincon is to drain our opponents with lifegain and pinging them to defeat. Casting Queen Marchesa is almost guaranteed by turn 4, and I'd say turn 3 about a third of the time. Just try to have 3 mana producers in your opening mulligan and make sure one is red.

---

There are very few cards that depict chess art in the game but all of them within Mardu! That being said, here are the few cards that are chess flavor, but not in the deck.

Sacrifice Play Unset card, but the most likely to make the cut for this deck if my group is ok with it.

Choose Your Champion Scheme card, and seemingly not a fun one. Not making the cut.

Divine Gambit Oh no. It could fit, but damn is that a rough down side.

Scrambleverse It is red, so it isn't going in. However, I don't think chaos-mechanics fits this deck well.

Wild Evocation It is red, so it isn't going in. However, it is much better than Scrambleverse imo.

Thank you to Jupiterrr for pointing out that Talisman of Hierarchy was not in the deck which led me to realize I can use Scryfall(dot)com and search by "art:chess"

Shout out to HatterofMad!

While I had this concept long before I found HatterofMad's Kethis, the Hidden Hand Chess EDH deck. I took a lot of inspiration in how he formatted his deck. I was on the fence of having 16 pawns but his deck convinced me otherwise! He went all out on the flavor. I don't think I could out flavor that deck even if I tried. CHECK it out! My version has the whole board working together. I went with some more conventional deck building in hopes it puts up a stronger fight since I went with some cheaper card options.

Budget is kept intentionally low like most of my other decks (at least hovering $150 feels budget). The amount of W and B cards is ALMOST totally equal and totally mono (no gold border), but I really like Ethereal Absolution.

Date added	3 years
Last updated	1 year
Splash colors	WBR
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	3 - 0 Mythic Rares 33 - 0 Rares 25 - 0 Uncommons 22 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	2.91
Tokens	Angel 4/4 W, Angel 4/4 W w/ Vigilance, Assassin 1/1 B w/ Haste, Eldrazi Spawn 0/1 C, Elephant 3/3 G, Gold, Human 1/1 W, Human Soldier 1/1 W, Soldier 1/1 W, Spirit 1/1 W, Spirit 1/1 WB, Monarch Emblem, Treasure, Warrior 1/1 W w/ Vigilance, Zombie 2/2 B, Zombie Knight 2/2 B
Folders	Maybe Decks, deck, tribal