Killian's Loving and Supportive Community

Commander / EDH Bestow Enchant WB (Orzhov)

jojikush

Creature (25)

• 1x Baleful Eidolon
• 1x Cavern Lampad
• 1x Celestial Archon
• 1x Danitha Capashen, Paragon
• 1x Eidolon of Countless Battles
• 1x Erebos's Emissary
• 1x General's Enforcer
• 1x Ghostblade Eidolon
• 1x Hateful Eidolon
• 1x Heliod's Pilgrim
• 1x Herald of Torment
• 1x Hero of Iroas
• 1x Hopeful Eidolon
• 1x Knight of the White Orchid
• 1x Kor Spiritdancer
• 1x Lurrus of the Dream-Den
• 1x Mesa Enchantress
• 1x Monastery Mentor
• 1x Nighthowler
• 1x Nyxborn Shieldmate
• 1x Observant Alseid
• 1x Selfless Savior
• 1x Sram, Senior Edificer
• 1x Starfield Mystic
• 1x Transcendent Envoy

Instant (5)

• 1x Crush Contraband
• 1x Enlightened Tutor
• 1x Generous Gift
• 1x Karametra's Blessing
• 1x Utter End

Enchantment (21)

• 1x All That Glitters
• 1x Angelic Gift
• 1x Animate Dead
• 1x Battle Mastery
• 1x Blessing of Leeches
• 1x Cage of Hands
• 1x Conviction
• 1x Darksteel Mutation
• 1x Flickerform
• 1x Gift of Immortality
• 1x Hobble
• 1x Hyena Umbra
• 1x Mammoth Umbra
• 1x Phyrexian Arena
• 1x Rune of Mortality
• 1x Sage's Reverie
• 1x Shielded by Faith
• 1x Sigarda's Aid
• 1x Starfield of Nyx
• 1x Triclopean Sight
• 1x Unquestioned Authority

Artifact (7)

• 1x Arcane Signet
• 1x Fellwar Stone
• 1x Mind Stone
• 1x Orzhov Signet
• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Talisman of Hierarchy
• 1x Wayfarer's Bauble

Sorcery (5)

• 1x Open the Armory
• 1x Parting Thoughts
• 1x Retether
• 1x Tragic Arrogance
• 1x Winds of Rath

Commander (1)

Land (36)

• 1x Barren Moor
• 1x Bojuka Bog
• 1x Caves of Koilos
• 1x Command Tower
• 1x Fetid Heath
• 1x Ghost Quarter
• 1x Godless Shrine
• 1x Hall of Heliod's Generosity
• 1x Isolated Chapel
• 1x Mortuary Mire
• 12x Plains
• 1x Rogue's Passage
• 1x Secluded Steppe
• 1x Silent Clearing
• 9x Swamp
• 1x Temple of Silence
• 1x Vault of Champions

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Maybeboard

Enchantment (3)

• 1x Eldrazi Conscription
• 1x Grisly Transformation
• 1x Sentinel's Mark

Creature (2)

• 1x Lotus-Eye Mystics
• 1x Strongarm Monk

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Imagine being so excited to see more representation of yourself in your favorite game, and that it wasn't going to revolve around Asian mysticism or Feudal Japan. Killian is a (B-plot) promoted character that didn't have to be a Shaolin monk or something rooted in cultural Asian history; just a normal dude to represent a coded Western-Asian intersectional experience. It is so disappointing to see that Wizards instead took this opportunity to play on the trope of model minority and emotionally abusive Asian parents/guardians.

Killian, Ink Duelist // Embrose, Dean of Shadow // Crushing Disappointment // Lash of Malice // Infuse with Vitality // Beaming Defiance

What we see depicted here is a story arc in which Killian Lu is almost completely defined by his relationship with an unappeasable and evidently ruthless Tiger Dad.

I bring my experience as a queer, cis-male 2nd generation Filipino-American. I still want to claim Killian as representation, but we deserve better as a community and this character deserves better. I want to see more representation in Magic that doesn't pull from a sensationalizing of generational trauma.

This Bestow deck is all about uplifting yourself and your community with powerful auras. We empower one another and Hateful Eidolon s gonna hate. Open to suggestions!

The Game Plan

Honestly the aim of the deck is pretty simple: Have efficiently costed creatures that synergize with auras/enchantments. This is not so much Voltron as I am trying to go wide with this deck, ensuring that I always either have a creature to put on the board, or an aura to slap onto it. Cost reducers like Danitha Capashen, Paragon and Hero of Iroas are a great back up for Killian, while card draw in Sram, Senior Edificer , Kor Spiritdancer and Mesa Enchantress keep the gas in our hands.

I've always loved Bestow as a mechanic because of its modality. The issue with Voltron decks is drawing only the wrong half of the deck, but when a card is both then you've always got something to do! When cast as an aura, a bestow card will target a creature and so Killian essentially gets rid of the inflated mana cost.

In removal, I was really surprised with Parting Thoughts and Killian's cost reduction does wonders for this. With all the new types of counters we are seeing, this is a killer for those G/W inclusive decks. I wanted to balance the rest out in having some instants alongside the aura removal.

The Problem with the Model Minority Myth

The notion of attributing a particular ethnicity or cultural background with financial or academic success can be damaging in several ways. It perpetuates the idea that oppression is something that can be overcome with diligence and hard work. This diminishes the experience of institutionalized racism and resource apartheid that our Black, Indigenous, Latinx and Southwest Asian(Middle-Eastern) communities face.

I do not blame the creator of this character, as I understand the story they were trying to tell. We should instead hold accountable the network around the writers to ensure that what they are producing is a tasteful and wholesome representation of marginalized people.

Ultimately I am building this deck so that I can have these conversations with my play group. This visibility is important to me. While I can recognize that WoTC has been doing a lot of work to make sure their game actually reaches the diversity of their audience, it is still evident that they have yet more work to do in their oversight. Hire more queers and creators of color, consult us, let us be the voices to tell our stories. *end rant

Thanks to @aznsrepresent for an enlightening conversation about inclusivity, intersectionality, and harmful rhetoric in tabletops and video game media. A lot of their thoughts are summarized in this write-up and it is important to keep this conversation going. Check them out on their Twitch stream, podcast, and Twitter.

Top Ranked	Achieved #1 position overall 3 years ago
Date added	3 years
Last updated	3 years
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	2 - 0 Mythic Rares 26 - 0 Rares 27 - 0 Uncommons 22 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	2.58
Tokens	Companion Zone, Elephant 3-3 G, Human Soldier 1/1 W, Monk 1/1 W
Folders	Sick af, Commander, Orzhov Inspiration, update existing