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Elementals Toolbox

Commander / EDH

MULRAH


Maybeboard


This budget deck has tribal elementals as a core theme, providing a baseline of functionality for anyone unfamiliar with the deck. Beyond this, the deck's commander ( Horde of Notions ), a few creatures that fetch other creatures, and a wide variety of interaction stapled onto creatures to provide a "toolbox" strategy for the deck. As you identify threats to you in the game, you can responsively get the answers for them from your library and then keep them on the battlefield (feeding into elemental tribal synergies) or let them go to the graveyard via evoke or a sacrifice outlet. Horde of Notions can get anything back from the graveyard for further use.

In addition to these core themes, the deck has a couple of convoluted combos that are fun to see go off every once in a while. Furthermore, I included a few "modules" in the maybeboard that can be swapped in for any numbered module in the maindeck to mix things up a little. These modules are described in more detail below.

Deck Structure

This deck has been built using the 8x8 method. Half the modules fulfill typical functions you'd expect to see in any commander deck, while the other half support the specific themes of this deck.

For every deck, I include a module for ramp, removal, and card draw, preferably filled with cards that align with the deck's theme rather than generic spells that could go in any deck.

  • Ramp: Fortunately, elementals provide a lot of unique ways to ramp, so this suite is comprised entirely of cards that feed into the tribal theme.
  • Removal: Similarly, the removal suite is almost entirely elementals or cards that create elementals. This suite in particular relies upon the evoke mechanic, which allows elementals to double as spells.
  • Card Draw & Selection: This suite also is fortunately made up of all elementals. In some cases, the card advantage is supplied by recurring cards from the graveyard.
  • Fun: This module has become standard in most of my decks at this point. It's mostly just miscellaneous effects that don't fit into one of the deck's broader subthemes but are still consistent with the overarching elementals tribal theme.

The other half of these modules further contribute to the elementals tribal theme but go beyond the basics of any EDH deck. I've selected four primary modules for the maindeck, but any of these could be swapped out for one of the three modules in the maybeboard. All of these modules are described below.

  1. Toolbox Enablers support the "toolbox" gameplan enabled by the deck's commander Horde of Notions . Creature tutors can call up any of the elementals in the removal suite to take care of immediate threats, and the sacrifice outlets can get them into the graveyard for a second use.
  2. Elemental Beatdown provides the baseline pathway to victory: simply building up a ground presence and attacking. A couple of these elementals double as combat tricks, while others provide anthems or other boosts to your elementals.
  3. The Black Module includes all the cards requiring black mana to cast/use. By default, I'm including these cards, which generally support the various functions of the deck and provide the deck's commander-- Horde of Notions . If you swap out this module, then Omnath, Locus of Creation can serve as the deck's commander.
  4. The Combos module consists of cards that combo with each other but also align with the other themes of the deck. As such, most of these cards are consistent with the deck on their own, but in conjunction with each other they can produce infinite mana and other such fun.
  5. Elemental Lands converts your lands into elementals, feeding into the assertive ground game of the second module but also benefiting from inclusion of the land synergies below.
  6. +1/+1 Counters provides additional elementals that produce or play with +1/+1 counters. These can further play into the baseline focus of the deck on the battlefield.
  7. Landfall Tokens includes cards that produce tokens every time a land enters the battlefield. Including this module shifts the deck toward a lands theme, more consistent with using Omnath as the commander. Further development of this deck would probably take this theme to the next level by creating a module of cards that gets additional lands into play and such.
  8. The "Fancy" module includes some cards that are a little outside my budget constraints for this deck, but those who want to spruce things up a little can add these in.

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66% Casual

34% Competitive

Date added 2 years
Last updated 2 years
Legality

This deck is Commander / EDH legal.

Rarity (main - side)

2 - 0 Mythic Rares

27 - 0 Rares

27 - 0 Uncommons

19 - 0 Commons

Cards 100
Avg. CMC 3.91
Tokens Elemental 1/1 R, Elemental 2/2 G, Elemental 4/4 W, Shapeshifter 1/1 C
Folders Budget Commander - Tribal Cycle
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