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Gwafa Hazid, Godfather

Commander / EDH Multiplayer Pillow Fort WU (Azorius)

Radiophage

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Land (37)

Instant (9)

Enchantment (17)

Creature (11)

Planeswalker (2)

Commander (1)

Commander: Gwafa Hazid, Profiteer

Artifact (15)

Sorcery (8)

"I understand. You found paradise in Akrasa, you had a good trade, you made a good living. The Blessed-caste protected you and there were courts of law. You didn't need a friend like me. But, now you come to me, and you say: 'Gwafa Hazid, give me justice.' But you don't ask with respect. You don't offer friendship. You don't even think to call me Godfather..."

This Gwafa deck is built around playing the table, handing out "favours", making "deals they can't refuse", copying/taking control of the other players' beasties, and generally making things as fun as possible for everyone else at the table. You "win" when people are still talking about playing with you at the next FNM.

GENERAL PILOTING ADVICE

First things first: always refer to yourself in the third person! Gwafa is kind, Gwafa is generous, Gwafa is polite, until certain things in the board state unfortunately force Gwafa to call in a few favours...

But seriously, though. You exist to cut deals for the entire table.

This is the most effective pillowfort technique in the format, in Gwafa's opinion. Don't donate permanents, don't stack up taxchantments -- just give people advantage. They will draw into their threats and answers, they will go at each others' throats, and they will absolutely leave you alone, because you're helping them have more fun with their deck than they ever thought possible.

Minds Aglow, Rainbow Vale, Unifying Theory, Flying Carpet, Duelist's Heritage, Jester's Mask, the plus ability of Teferi, Hero of Dominaria -- such a good friend, he is! -- Gwafa's own bribery counters, and more are your main gameplan. Regularly offer to help out other players with these cards and counters, ask for nothing in return, and wait calmly while they beat each other down with your fun little toys.

NOTE: Be judicious with Gwafa's ability! If you slap bribery counters on enemy commanders, or spam them out on anything that looks threatening, the game will slow right down and you'll become a target as a result. So wait, save it until someone is truly in need, and become the hero of the table!

WIN CONDITIONS

In general, Gwafa's gameplan has three phases. In the early game, the Godfather hands out cards, mana, and other resources to his friends. In the midgame, Gwafa may "call in a favour" or two with Dominate and similar Control Magic effects as needed. Finally, there are his win conditions.

Win Condition 1: The Godfather always has the courts in his pocket. Get Azor's Elocutors out, and prepare to politic/pillowfort your face off for five turns.

Win Condition 2: The Godfather is a source of wisdom and advice. It is only natural that a particularly useful friend may have a minion with a Corrupted Conscience that can be... swayed.

Win Condition 3: The Godfather is generous to his friends, but occasionally, they can be irresponsible with his gifts. If someone spends too much time in the Dream Halls and some plans are moved to a Forced Fruition, well, who can say who is at fault?

Win Condition 4: The Godfather is always benificent. The Godfather is kind and generous. Particularly loyal friends may experience their own Xanadu, wherein the Godfather bids you put on the Helm of Obedience, so that you may Rest in Peace.

CARD-SPECIFIC NOTES

  • Willbreaker -- Our good friend the Willbreaker works very well with Gwafa's activated ability. For you see, as soon as a creature becomes the target of one of Gwafa's bribery counters, the Willbreaker triggers, and before you know it, Gwafa controls the bribed creature! How deliciously flavourful!

  • Together Forever -- The Godfather is always ready to help those in need. With Gwafa and Together Forever on the field, you can rescue any opponents' creature at instant speed by activating Gwafa to add a bribery counter, then Together Forever to save it from death! The Godfather is nothing if not a creature of mercy.

  • Mind's Eye -- It is important to take full advantage of the Godfather's beneficence and activate this ability for each card drawn by your opponents. Remember, each card drawn is a separate event that can have triggers tied to it -- especially relevant when you have a Jace's Archivist or multiple Howling Mine effects on the field!

  • Arcane Artisan, Duelist's Heritage, Flying Carpet, Rainbow Vale, and the +1 ability of Teferi, Hero of Dominaria -- The Godfather has found that his friends and family often need to be aggressively reminded of the presence of these gifts, since it is not immediately obvious that they can be used to benefit other players as well.

BUDGET VERSION

Not everyone is as blessed with financial munificence as the great Gwafa. If you wish to experiment with the Godfather's holdings for a much smaller stipend, please follow this link!

A FINAL NOTE

Have fun, eh? This deck is firmly aimed at diplomacy, player politics, reading the table, and 75%ing games by scaling itself to what it can copy from its opponents. You'll get a lot of mileage by waiting until just the right time to offer a bribery counter to somebody who desperately needs it. Remember, Gwafa is a kind and generous soul, a humble merchant who wants nothing but the best for his friends, despite what these undertakers may think...

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Updates Add

ON THE OCCASION OF A VISIT TO KYLEM — Aug. 26, 2018
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Ah, yes! Thank you for coming, it is so good to see you here.

The Godfather has just returned from Kylem -- how did I get there? Well, Gwafa has many friends! Sometimes, it is best not to ask such questions -- after their great Battlebond event, and he is filled with revelations.

Their ways of... assisting each other were remarkable, and the plays and games as a result were stupendous. It gives a man to thought, really, about the nature of help, and how best to be a good member of the community.

He has since revised a great deal of his matériel, adding some of the more exemplary deeds he witnessed on Kylem, as well as some various Control Magic effects to strengthen his midgame. He has also removed some various friends and abilities that had a habit of... ending things too quickly. Below:

Now, that Valeron merlot has been aging nicely since last you were here. Alternatively, the concessionaires at Valor's Reach did have a wonderful selection of refreshments -- would you like to try one?

A CHANGE IN DIRECTION — April 8, 2017
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