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Edgar Markov Primer (Updated)

Commander / EDH RBW (Mardu)

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Creature (28)

Instant (7)

Land (36)

Enchantment (7)

Commander (1)

Commander: foil Edgar Markov

Sorcery (11)

Artifact (10)

Hello and welcome to another EDH Primer! This time we are doing a primer on the Granddaddy of Vampires: Edgar Markov!!! This will also be the first EDH primer on one of the new Commanders from Commander 2017 (as I promised)! This card is THE best Commander for Vampires. Wizards of the Coast has managed to break the code of building a good Vampire deck here.

Edgar Markov makes a good vampire Commander for the following reasons:

  1. His Eminence mechanic can create you an army of vampires. As whenever you cast a vampire spell you get a 1/1 black vampire.I mean an ability that whenever you cast a vampire you get a 1/1 token? Even if he isnt on the battlefield? That is powerful!

  2. He has haste and first strike very relevant keywords, which means you can attack the moment he hits the field and if he gets blocked, Edgar will deal damage first!

  3. Also when he attacks he literally is an anthem for all of your vampires. If your opponents dont have any boardwipes things can get out of control real fast.

You will like this deck if you:

  1. Just want to go wide and yell: "Charge!" or "Attack"

  2. You want to build a tribal deck that is still developing (especially with Ixalan)

  3. Being a pain for your opponents

  4. You just want to cast vampires, while also draining the life of your opponents, while also gaining a ton of life!

You won't like this deck if you:

  1. You don't want to play a deck focused on attacking with creatures

  2. You don't want a deck that is committed to Go Wide

  3. You hate Mardu colours

  4. Love Blue

Now on with the primer!

Your mana base contains all your basic needs for colour fixing such as guildgates, your basic dual lands, Command Tower, Path of Ancestry. You name it. The rest of your mana base are mostly your mana rocks and Black Market.

Sol Ring and Worn Powerstone need no introduction.

Boros Signet, Rakdos Signet and Orzhov Signet give you the colour fixing that you need.

Black Market is a very good mana source for this deck. Whenever a creature dies, put a charge counter on Black Market. At the beginning of your precombat main phase, add B to your mana pool for each charge counter on Black Market.

Now for the main cards of the deck: The Vampires!!!! I have split the vampires into different groups: Starters, Lords and Utility creatures.

The Starters

The starters of the deck are meant to start the eminence mechanic machine going. They are our one drops to three drops.

Tithe Drinker is a great one drop, one that can get bigger and bigger every time it deals damage.

Indulgent Aristocrat is another good one drop (technically it's a lord but I'll count it as starter).

Mavren Fein, Dusk Apostle a great card to play. And one that can make your token strategy ridiculous.

Stromkirk Noble a one drop that can become big if it doesn't get removed.

The Lords

The Lords play an important role to the deck. The lords will make your vampires bigger and more stronger.

Olivia Voldaren, Olivia is a true vampire lord. She can make your opponents creatures vampires, which allows you to steal them, all the while making her even stronger.

Anowon, the Ruin Sage forces everyone to each player sacrifices a non-Vampire creature.

Rakish Heir makes all your vampires whenever they deal combat damage, they get a +1/+1 counter.

Captivating Vampire gives your vampire team +1/+1 and when you have enough vampires, you can start stealing opponents creatures.

Bloodline Keeper when he turns into Lord of Lineage   gives all your vampires +2/+2, and can be a token generator as well.

Stromkirk Captain also a good vampire lord.

Vampire Nocturnus Play with the top card of your library revealed. As long as the top card of your library is black, Vampire Nocturnus and other Vampire creatures you control get +2/+1 and have flying. A very good boost to your vampires.

Bloodlord of Vaasgoth gives all the vampires you cast bloodthirst 3.

Utility

The rest of your vampires gives you utility, what I mean utility is to help progress the game, whether it's through life lost, a creature that can just get even bigger through it's attack.

Malakir Bloodwitch When Malakir Bloodwitch enters the battlefield, each opponent loses life equal to the number of Vampires you control. You gain life equal to the life lost this way.

Falkenrath Marauders gets bigger whenever it deals combat damage.

Butcher of Malakir just good removal and a staple vampire card.

Blood Artist and Falkenrath Noble are great life drainers.

Mathas, Fiend Seeker is there to bring some politics to the game.

Just like the vampires of fiction, vampires in magic also suck your blood. There is a life gain/drain theme here in this deck.

Sanguine Bond is a fantastic card that fits the bill for life gain and drain.

Vampire Nighthawk can't go wrong with Batman!

Exsanguinate This card can potentially win you the game. Definitely a win condition.

Malakir Boloodwitch can make an opponent lose life, while you gain life.

Blood Tribute is more here for flavour as in the Commander 2017, we do see Edgar Markov in the card's art. While also cutting a player's life total in half is not something to laugh at.

Mulligan:

Mulligan if you have less than 2 lands in your hand. And you should also mulligan if all the creatures you have in your hand have converted mana of 4 or more.

Early game:

The Early game is where you try to gather up your mana, and cast your "starters" to get the eminence machine going.

Midgame:

Midgame is where we start getting our life gain subtheme going. While building up our tokens than alpha striking with Edgar Markov and the team.

Endgame:

Will either be alpha striking our opponents for lethal or our life drain effects kill off our opponents.

Win Conditions:

Alpha striking with your team (preferably with Edgar) or drain your opponents life away Simple! Or use the classic Sanguine Bond and Exquisite Blood combo to do an infinite life gain/loss loop that will win you the game.

Rest of the Deck

The Rest of the deck is your standard removal, card draw and cards that benefit vampires. Teferi's Protection can often save you.

Conclusion:

Overall Edgar Markov is a blast to play! It's just fun to go wide and you get anthems for it every time you swing with Edgar and the team. He is by far my favourite vampire commander and this is one deck I am probably never tearing apart. With Edgar, vampires are a true threat in the multiverse. I just love this deck so much! Thank you for reading!

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