Beseiging Eden [Primer]

Commander / EDH Aggro Bracket 4 Multiplayer Primer RW (Boros) Stax

Scarlet_Belvedere

Land (37)

• 1x Ancient TombGC
• 1x Arid Mesa
• 1x Battlefield Forge
• 1x Bloodstained Mire
• 1x City of Brass
• 1x Command Beacon
• 1x Command Tower
• 1x Elegant Parlor
• 1x Flooded Strand
• 1x Inkmoth Nexus
• 1x Lazotep Quarry
• 1x Mana Confluence
• 1x Marsh Flats
• 8x Mountain
• 1x Needleverge Pathway  ^Flip
• 5x Plains
• 1x Plaza of Heroes
• 1x Reflecting Pool
• 1x Rugged Prairie
• 1x Sacred Foundry
• 1x Scalding Tarn
• 1x Sunbaked Canyon
• 1x Sunbillow Verge
• 1x Sunscorched Divide
• 1x Windswept Heath
• 1x Wooded Foothills

Enchantment (7)

• 1x Land Tax
• 1x Mass Hysteria
• 1x Brave the Sands
• 1x Smoke
• 1x Equipoise
• 1x Repercussion
• 1x War's Toll

Artifact (21)

• 1x Mox Amber
• 1x Basilisk Collar
• 1x Elixir of Immortality
• 1x Infiltration Lens
• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Arcane Signet
• 1x Blackblade Reforged
• 1x Brotherhood Regalia
• 1x Fellwar Stone
• 1x Greatsword of Tyr
• 1x Lightning Greaves
• 1x Mind Stone
• 1x Ruby Medallion
• 1x Sword of the Animist
• 1x Talisman of Conviction
• 1x Angel's Trumpet
• 1x Godsend
• 1x Static Orb
• 1x Sword of Hearth and Home
• 1x Two-Handed Axe
• 1x Genji Glove

Sorcery (10)

• 1x Faithless Looting
• 1x Crackle with Power
• 1x Reckless Impulse
• 1x Wrenn's Resolve
• 1x Ascend from Avernus
• 1x Jeska's WillGC
• 1x Search for Glory
• 1x Wheel of Misfortune
• 1x Disrupt Decorum
• 1x Winds of Abandon

Commander (1)

Creature (17)

• 1x Esper Sentinel
• 1x Archivist of Oghma
• 1x Cloud, Midgar Mercenary
• 1x Grand Abolisher
• 1x Stoneforge Mystic
• 1x Archon of Emeria
• 1x Combat Celebrant
• 1x Imperial Recruiter
• 1x Magus of the Wheel
• 1x Recruiter of the Guard
• 1x Thalia, Heretic Cathar
• 1x Heartless Hidetsugu
• 1x Karlach, Fury of Avernus
• 1x Aurelia, the Warleader
• 1x Jurin, Leading the Charge
• 1x Balefire Dragon
• 1x Blast-Furnace Hellkite

Instant (7)

• 1x Deflecting SwatGC
• 1x Enlightened TutorGC
• 1x Disenchant
• 1x Tibalt's Trickery
• 1x Seething Song
• 1x Teferi's ProtectionGC
• 1x Valakut Awakening  ^Flip

---

Maybeboard

Creature (8)

• 1x Ethersworn Canonist
• 1x Voice of Victory
• 1x Michiko Konda, Truth Seeker
• 1x Tectonic Giant
• 1x Basandra, Battle Seraph
• 1x Goldspan Dragon
• 1x Neheb, the Eternal
• 1x Breaker of Armies

Instant (3)

• 1x Lightning Bolt *f-etch*
• 1x Red Elemental Blast
• 1x Seize Opportunity

Sorcery (2)

• 1x Magmatic Insight
• 1x Idyllic Tutor

Enchantment (2)

• 1x Aggravated Assault
• 1x Kismet

Artifact (1)

• 1x Nemesis Mask

---

"The storm is here!"

This set comes at a time when I was already feeling like a Final Fantasy XIII replay was overdue, and at a time when I was only shin-deep into a new Basandra, Battle Seraph deck. Truth be told, I liked FFXIII growing up, and I confess; Lightning's Boros print was faithful to the character in a way that reminded me of how much I liked her. Building a deck for her was damn-near mandatory for me.

Overview

"Focus on your ultimate goal and shut out everything else. Still your mind. Move on instinct."

Your focus is to open - and keep open - the opponent's defenses through the use of stax pieces. You're not packing as many as a dedicated stax deck, but that's fine; that you're playing this deck means you're comfortable with needing to be precise with your plays. Once defenses are open, swing fast and often with Lightning, taking the game either through properly positioned pieces; or by ending the player outright with burst damage from Crackle with Power, Heartless Hidetsugu, Inkmoth Nexus, or Repercussion.

The deck is intended to operate at a fast tempo despite some of the slower strategies it employs: an average CMC of 2.70 demands ample mana production for a deck that even uses a little stax, and; were there the space to do so, there would be more cheap draw power than there already is. This might be Boros, but that doesn't mean it won't still be built like a Grixis caster made it.

All of that said:

Do not play your stax pieces too soon.

Read that as many times as you must. Nobody likes T3 Static Orb. Not even the stax player who cast it, provided they're paying adequate attention to the board. Get your other pieces setup through sheer speed, then lock people's boards. And know that it's a two-way street: "Players can't untap more than two permanents" means you, too, and it's your job to overcome those offsets better than any opponent at the table. Let doubt take over, and despair will cripple you.

Equipment Use

"You brought a spear to a gunblade fight?"

Equipment are likely the first thing you tutor for in a game. They're your proactive defense; a source of your speed; your method for accentuating combat prowess beyond number crunching. Knowing when to look for pieces is critical to knowing how to look. To elaborate:

Early-game Searches Show

• Lightning Greaves
• Sword of the Animist
• Infiltration Lens
• Sword of Hearth and Home*

Here you see the three main pillars to a healthy start: defense, ramp, and draw. Greaves is currently more preferred compared to Swiftfoot Boots due to being able to put ourselves one turn ahead of when we would normally be able to cast and equip Lightning with the latter. Do be mindful that Shroud prevents the equipping of other Equipment until Greaves are removed; you'll have to carefully plan around that when considering when to use defense/stax pieces and Equipment kill routes alike. To be clear, however, Lightning can still lend an assist without any other Equipment attached with the right setup.

For gameplans necessitating early mana production, Sword of the Animist enables a rapid firing of spells in colors otherwise hard-pressed for the long-term ramping capabilities of green (land tutors) and blue (more generalized Artifact support). Putting yourself ahead on lands one extra turn at a time can permanently alter how you play the game out into the endgame; about as much as an early Sol Ring given two to three turns. The process of tutoring for these basics means a thinner deck, too, allowing for more efficient use of draw power.

Early Infiltration Lens is for people who aim for accuracy by quantity as you chip opponents or draw cards, both of which have their place: drawing indiscriminately works for hands that have the best of anything you could ask for; while chip damage can be used to setup kills later. Chip now means less mana for Crackle With Power later, or potentially one less combat phase.

Sword of Hearth and Home has the honor of being one of the deck's best examples of how multi-functional important cards are in the deck. Eyes more familiar with Boros might've noticed that the decklist sports an infinite combat loop using Sword. How ever true, we don't need to think of game-winning pieces in that strict of a sense: An early Sword of Hearth and Home does what Sword of the Animist achieves with the added bonus of flickering our creatute and Equipment searches (the only ETBs in the deck). Don't overthink this step; you'll have access to a lot of kill routes early. Some will work, some won't. Go with your gut if you're not sure, and learn from it whether or not it works.

Mid-game Searches Show

• Godsend
• Basilisk Collar
• Commander's Plate
• Blackblade Reforged

Pressure with offense and keep Lightning alive. By now, you'll have figured out how much the UBG protection from Commander's Plate will serve you in this matchup. Remember that protection effects also prevent blocks- that is to say, your target's defenses are always open. Pulling that off with a powered-up Blackblade may lead to the table's first kill within this phase of the game. Godsend is consistently one of the best pieces of Equipment for Lightning when Plate has no attacking relevance given the first strike + exile-touch combo (or first strike + deathtouch from Basilisk Collar as it may be).

Note that almost all of these can boost toughness by at least two or three. Lightning's 2 toughness makes her a glass cannon. Ensuring she's at four or more toughness keeps her out of range of damage-based creature removal (Abrade for example).

Late-game Searches Show

• Two-Handed Axe
• Genji Glove

Technically mid-game finds, but on the tail end of it due to timings (Adventure) or costs. Equipping either of these will make you more of a target, never mind if you were already. Lightning with double strike and an extra combat is enough to kill someone (see: section, "Kill Lines"). Two-Handed Axe and any +1/+x Equipment on Lightning will also work. End the game.

Stax: A Means to an End in Breaking Defensive Lines

"It's not a question of can or can't. There are some things in life you just do."

The guide to this deck's stax package assumes you already know what stax is, and have a cursory understanding of it. If not, there are plenty of people who came here before I who've explained it in detail. For now, think of it like guerrilla warfare: Taking away opponent resources on the back end means less fighting on the front end because they have fewer resources to commit to fighting and counter-maneuvering.

This deck's locks include:

Disrupt Decorum / War's Toll / Thalia, Heretic Cathar / Greatsword of Tyr
+
Static Orb / Smoke

Tap their resources and keep them that way. The opponent can't block if no creatures are untapped. Curving into Smoke or Static Orb before Thalia is by far the most passive, guaranteed way to achieve this knowing full well the creature that entered won't be useful for at least a couple turns. Sword of Tyr takes a more reactive approach that is still appreciated when any of the aforementioned pieces are cast late; selectively choosing the threats to remain tapped adds a layer opponents need to work around if you're aware of what they might be planning, and at worst, it's an assurance to know a specific problem is locked out (temporary or otherwise).

War's Toll, then, falls into its own category when paired next to Smoke and Orb. Proactive at a glance, its effects are avoidable by opponents who elect not to attack. Disadvantageous for them, perhaps, however, untapped creatures mean untapped blockers. Try to capitalize on the time given to you by their stalling. Find a way to make your creatures unblockable. Brotherhood Regalia, Winds of Abandon- anything. Failure to punish this kind of tactic results in someone finding removal for your lock. All hell breaks loose from that point.

Moments like that are part of why Disrupt Decorum was added. If the enemy's creatures are all goaded, they're forced to tap in a way that doesn't impact you (e.g., full-scale assaults; the other response to Toll). They're apt to remain that way long enough to break their defensive line. Bear in mind how there are alternate casting timings between Decorum and Orb/Smoke: You can cast Disrupt Decorum, wait a turn cycle, then tap for three mana to cast Static Orb if you think you have time: if you don't think the table will perceive it as an immediate issue, if you know there aren't an abundance of counters, if there's a low risk of them being discarded, etc. If you think you need to, you can cast both of these in the same turn provided Archon of Emeria isn't in play. You'll have a greater mana deficit in future turns, but you at least deny the use of a counter drawn into on the turn cycle. If neither are countered right there, opponents will see the lock coming. Consider using this as a distraction for any in-the-moment plans you've come up with.

Equipoise

Seventeen creatures, in a deck that often wins by attacking, means minimalist armies. Easy enough, just have to minimize the opposing armies. You're the one who chooses the creatures per the Oracle text (plus any artifacts and lands); anything not tapped gets phased out. All of their tokens phase out. Any mana being saved for interaction phases out. Fewer blockers against Jurin, Leading the Charge adds to his longevity as a red Breaker of Armies, and so on.

(No, phasing doesn't make tokens disappear forever, or make Equipment or counters fall off.)

Archon of Emeria

Nothing special. Fewer spells means fewer creatures on the enemy lines.

. . .

The next section could be defined as "soft stax" at best. Still, the objective of keeping defensive lines open remains the same.

Winds of Abandon

The rare one-sided, exiling boardwipe for the cost of a Farewell. You don't need to exile everything ever if you can close the game out.

Balefire Dragon / Jurin, Leading the Charge (+ Equipment)

Reusable pseudo-boardwipes each combat. Jurin forcing blocks creates openings for Lightning, Balefire, and the like, hefting swaths of creatures just off of a Blackblade Reforged. Balefire Dragon by comparison is the classic red method of handling our problems, permanently.

Defensive Maneuvering

"When we think there's no hope left, we keep looking until we find some . . .

We'll protect [our home] or die trying!"

Six dedicated defensive cards, three dedicated pieces of removal, two recursion pieces, and the stax package from the previous section. That's our explicit defense budget, a Teferi's ProtectionGC or Tibalt's Trickery as our only lines of defense against Farewell. I took more notes from red in designing the engine of this deck, which meant slimming down removal and defense to their essentials. That's okay. We have less explicit means of defense buried within. To explain:

Godsend / Basilisk Collar + Thalia, Heretic Cathar or Lightning

First strike plus deathtouch or exile-touch. The duo has come up a few times in this primer already, so to briefly reiterate: Defending with a creature that can instantly remove a creature from the battlefield - and from combat - gives few incentives to attack into you. This is why vigilance is so pivotal: vigilance is stax circumvention as much as it is defensive maintenance. Every turn you don't attack is another you spend defending until someone else draws into a winning play, not that you can afford to leave yourself open.

Repercussion + Thalia / Lightning (+ power boosts)

First strike calculates damage before anything, so consequently, Repercussion triggers before their attacker's damage is applied. A 5-10+ damage trigger might deter an attack; being under the effects of Stagger can have the opponent falling on their own sword: If I have a +7 Blackblade on either of these women with Repercussions in play, 10 damage turns to 20 damage on the creature on the first combat damage step. Damage calculated, Repercussion triggers in response, acting as a new damage source as it sends 40 damage directly. Works wonders if your opponent is pressured to attack by Angel's Trumpet.

Brave the Sands + Thalia / Lightning + (Godsend + Basilisk Collar)

More first strike blocking. Godsend only exiles one creature per attack/block, and must be decided on once damage is calculated. Blocking two creatures at once with first strike ensures both of them will be exiled or killed before you take damage so long as they each take at least 1 damage.

Heartless Hidetsugu + Basilisk Collar

One of the deck's secondary win conditions doubles as a failsafe against excessive life loss (caused, perhaps, by a couple of Toll-invoked full-scales). Lifelink negates any damage dealt to you by Hidetsugu, making an early 40-60 life gain possible. Don't forget that this is still damage; there won't be nearly as many extra combats before Lightning is able to sweep players after blows like these.

I'd suggest Hidetsugu as a political piece, except if you're pulling this maneuver, everyone will want you dead. Everyone. Have a plan. If the threat's defenses can be circumvented or are otherwise down, don't cast Hidetsugu on the pre-combat main phase. Try to attack with Lightning, then cast Hidetsugu on the post-combat main to deal double before people can suspect it. And have the haste enablement ready. Hidetsugu rarely survives a turn cycle after reading the card.

Balefire Dragon + Basilisk Collar

Works much like the Hidetsugu + Collar setup, except you likely gain less life in exchange for blowing up a whole army. Have haste ready.

Disrupt Decorum

Useful by itself, Disrupt can prevent a turn of full-scale assaults on its own. Expect that to be relevant immediately once the table understands that you can a.) kill someone in one turn, and; b.) can replicate those results. Open the defenses, kill another player, and then worry only about two oncoming punishes instead of three. At worst, Disrupt gives a turn to breathe.

Lazotep Quarry

Being able to sacrifice my creatures at will gets around prison and Ixidron effects with my Commander. Has the added benefit of itself being the one to tap instead of needing me to tap the intended creature. Handy for prison effects that tap their targets.

Kill Lines

"You lose."

~Lightning Lines~

Reminder: The first hit of double strike hits in the same combat damage step as first strike. If Lightning has double strike, the second hit will be boosted by Stagger if applicable.

Genji Glove + Lightning, Army of One

3 + (2(3)) = 9;
Extra combat; 2(2(3)) = 12 + 9 = 21 Commander damage

For reference: The 9 damage added to the second sum is from the first hit.
This also applies to Blast-Furnace Hellkite + any extra combat trigger in play.

Lightning + Blackblade Reforged (+4) + Genji Gloves or Blast-Furnace Hellkite

(3 + 4) + (2(3 + 4)) = 21 Commander damage

All in one combat, so it's doable to at least two opponents in a turn. Any combination of a +1 power Equipment and a +3 power Equipment will do the job, too.

Lightning + Two-Handed Axe + Sword of the Animist + Genji Gloves or Blast-Furnace Hellkite

(2(3 + 1)) + 2(2(3 + 1))) = 24 Commander damage

All in one combat as well.

Lightning + Two-Handed Axe + Blackblade (+4) + Genji Glove or Blast-Furnace Hellkite

(2(3 + 4)) + 2(2(3 + 4))) = 42 Commander damage

Just in case you find yourself at a table that doesn't use Commander damage (and/or you need to send a message). Still in one combat; lifelink should save you from a lot of hate you'll receive from doing this.

Lightning + extra combat + Blackblade (+4)

3 + 4 = 7
Extra combat trigger; 2(3 + 4) = 14 + 7 = 21 Commander damage

Can't always remove two opponents in one combat.

Lightning + Heartless Hidetsugu

Stagger;
2(Hidetsugu) = dead
Note: If the opponent has an odd amount of life remaining after Lightning attacks, they will live.



~Crackle With Power~

Slotted in over Banefire. We'll see how it holds with fewer counterspell measures than before. For quick reference:
x=1 = 5 mana / 5 damage/target
x=2 = 8 mana / 10 damage/target
x=3 = 11 mana / 15 damage/target

Crackle with Power + Lightning + Repercussion

Stagger; x=2
First target: creature: 2(10) = 20 damage;
Repercussion trigger; 2(20) = 40 damage;

With one target left, two players can go down in one turn if an extra combat trigger went off.



~Inkmoth Nexus~

Inkmoth Nexus + Lightning + Blackblade (+4)

Stagger;
2(1 + 4) = 10 infect damage

Inkmoth Nexus + extra combat + Blackblade (+4)

1 + 4 = 5 infect damage
Extra combat trigger; (" ") = 5; 5 + 5 = 10 infect damage

Inkmoth Nexus + Genji Glove + Blackblade (+3)

(1 + 2) + (1 + 2) = 6
Extra combat trigger; (" ") = 6; 6 + 6 = 12 infect damage

Inkmoth Nexus + Genji Glove + Blackblade (+4)

(1 + 4) (1 + 4) = 10 infect damage

Use the extra combat damage trigger to kill a second opponent.



~Misc. Kill Confirms~

Balefire Dragon + Repercussion

Balefire Dragon attacks; 6 damage
Balefire Dragon trigger; 6 damage to ea. creature defending player controls
Repercussion trigger; 6(6) = 36; 36 + 6 = 42 damage

It assumes there are at least six creatures on the enemy board to hit with the trigger.

Balefire Dragon + Repercussion + (Lightning + double strike)

Lightning attacks; Balefire Dragon attacks;
First combat damage step: Lightning deals damage;
Stagger;
Second combat damage step: Balefire Dragon deals 12 damage;
Balefire Dragon trigger; 12 damage to ea. creature defending player controls
Repercussion trigger; 12(3) = 36 + 12 = 48 damage

Assumes the defensing player controls at least three creatures. Don't forget your extra combat trigger if Genji Gloves are equipped to Lightning.



A quick tip: Stacking extra combats

You may find yourself in a position to have more than one extra combat. Remember that not all extra combat triggers happen at the same time, or under the same circumstances. For reference:

". . .if it's the first combat phase of the turn. . ."

• Genji Glove
• Karlach, Fury of Avernus

Any time else (and is stackable with the above as a result)

• Every other extra combat card isn't the Genji Gloves or Karlach.

"When Aurelia attacks for the first time each turn. . ." Don't attack with her until the second combat. "If Combat Celebrant hasn't been exerted this turn. . ." Don't exert him until the second combat, etc.

Current Contemplations

• Not a lot right now. Made a large edit, and now I think I'm content enough on the state of the deck to where it's time to go harder on testing it.
• I will say, Cloud needs his own section. The double triggers from Equipment can't be understated in how useful it is.
• Should also clarify somewhere: Despite being utility pieces, the infrequency of the utility lands being used that way still makes it fine to think of them as a part of the lands the deck runs for mana. It's not about how frequent they're important, but when.

Top Ranked	Achieved #19 position overall today Achieved #12 position in Commander / EDH 4 days ago Achieved #1 position in Commander / EDH Multiplayer 2 days ago
Date added	3 weeks
Last updated	1 day
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	14 - 0 Mythic Rares 53 - 0 Rares 12 - 0 Uncommons 8 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	2.71
Tokens	Copy Clone, On an Adventure
Folders	Ninja