Radha Mana Manipulation

Commander / EDH

Brawler_1337

Creature (23)

• 1x Apocalypse Hydra
• 1x Colossus of Akros
• 1x Dragonlord Atarka
• 1x Eternal Witness
• 1x Fertilid
• 1x Flameblast Dragon
• 1x Flowstone Overseer
• 1x Genesis Hydra
• 1x Gruul Ragebeast
• 1x Hellkite Charger
• 1x Hydra Broodmaster
• 1x Krosan Tusker
• 1x Moonveil Dragon
• 1x Pentavus
• 1x Sakura-Tribe Elder
• 1x Savage Ventmaw
• 1x Scavenging Ooze
• 1x Soul of New Phyrexia
• 1x Spellbreaker Behemoth
• 1x Steel Hellkite
• 1x Ulvenwald Tracker
• 1x Vigor
• 1x Wickerbough Elder

Land (38)

• 1x Command Tower
• 1x Evolving Wilds
• 1x Flamekin Village
• 10x Forest
• 1x Forgotten Cave
• 1x Fungal Reaches
• 1x Gruul Guildgate
• 1x Gruul Turf
• 1x Kazandu Refuge
• 1x Kessig Wolf Run
• 1x Mosswort Bridge
• 8x Mountain
• 1x Mountain Valley
• 1x Reliquary Tower
• 1x Rugged Highlands
• 1x Skarrg, the Rage Pits
• 1x Smoldering Crater
• 1x Stomping Ground
• 1x Temple of the False God
• 1x Terramorphic Expanse
• 1x Vivid Grove
• 1x Winding Canyons

Enchantment (8)

• 1x Aggravated Assault
• 1x Asceticism
• 1x Bear Umbra
• 1x Braid of Fire
• 1x Exploration
• 1x Frontier Siege
• 1x Instill Energy
• 1x Leyline of Lifeforce

Artifact (11)

• 1x Brittle Effigy
• 1x Chromatic Lantern
• 1x Citanul Flute
• 1x Crystal Ball
• 1x Dreamstone Hedron
• 1x Expedition Map
• 1x Gemstone Array
• 1x Gruul Signet
• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Talisman of Impulse
• 1x Umbral Mantle

Instant (8)

• 1x Atarka's Command
• 1x Beast Within
• 1x Dragonrage
• 1x Fork
• 1x Krosan Grip
• 1x Signal the Clans
• 1x Starstorm
• 1x Wild Ricochet

Sorcery (11)

• 1x Animist's Awakening
• 1x Blasphemous Act
• 1x Clan Defiance
• 1x Decimate
• 1x Harmonize
• 1x Hull Breach
• 1x Insurrection
• 1x Nissa's Revelation
• 1x Praetor's Counsel
• 1x Savage Twister
• 1x Skyshroud Claim

Commander (1)

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Sideboard

Creature (2)

• 1x Birds of Paradise
• 1x Bogardan Hellkite

Sorcery (1)

• 1x Boundless Realms

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Maybeboard

Creature (21)

• 1x Anger
• 1x Arashi, the Sky Asunder
• 1x Bane of Progress
• 1x Bloodbraid Elf
• 1x Brutalizer Exarch
• 1x Ghor-Clan Rampager
• 1x Jiwari, the Earth Aflame
• 1x Pili-Pala
• 1x Pyrewild Shaman
• 1x Rampaging Baloths
• 1x Rubblehulk
• 1x Skarrg Goliath
• 1x Solemn Simulacrum
• 1x Treasonous Ogre
• 1x Urabrask the Hidden
• 1x Wood Elves
• 1x Wrecking Ogre
• 1x Xenagos, God of Revels
• 1x Zhur-Taa Ancient
• 1x Zhur-Taa Druid
• 1x Zhur-Taa Swine

Planeswalker (1)

• 1x Domri Rade

Land (3)

• 1x Khalni Garden
• 1x Rupture Spire
• 1x Transguild Promenade

Enchantment (7)

• 1x Elemental Bond
• 1x Gruul War Chant
• 1x Madcap Skills
• 1x Overwhelming Instinct
• 1x Primitive Etchings
• 1x Sylvan Library
• 1x Upwelling

Artifact (12)

• 1x Astral Cornucopia
• 1x Book of Rass
• 1x Contagion Engine
• 1x Darksteel Ingot
• 1x Gruul War Plow
• 1x Jalum Tome
• 1x Loreseeker's Stone
• 1x Mage Slayer
• 1x Planar Portal
• 1x Relic of Progenitus
• 1x Swiftfoot Boots
• 1x Whispersilk Cloak

Instant (8)

• 1x Beacon of Destruction
• 1x Destructive Revelry
• 1x Gruul Charm
• 1x Molder
• 1x Momentous Fall
• 1x Return to the Earth
• 1x Savage Beating
• 1x Volcanic Geyser

Sorcery (12)

• 1x Cultivate
• 1x Explore
• 1x Ground Assault
• 1x Howl of the Horde
• 1x Incendiary Command
• 1x Kodama's Reach
• 1x Rampant Growth
• 1x Reap and Sow
• 1x Reforge the Soul
• 1x Search for Tomorrow
• 1x Slice and Dice
• 1x Wreak Havoc

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So, I decided I wanted to build a deck around Radha. Primarily, I was thinking about ways to utilize her first ability. Normally, the red mana would fizzle when you head from declare attackers to declare blockers, so you need instant-speed ways to use that mana. Typically, firebreathing effects are used, but I wanted to go a little further.

The first breakthrough was one of my favorite sleeper cards, Gemstone Array. At minimum, it allows you to swing with Radha and store a mana of any color for later. But then I add in cards like Savage Ventmaw and Braid of Fire, and Gemstone Array's storage becomes amazing.

Another idea I had was to add Instill Energy, which lets me attack with Radha for the RR, and then untap her to tap her for G. Similarly, I added Umbral Mantle to allow her to attack and untap. While Umbral Mantle doesn't net me mana, it makes Radha bigger and a little harder to kill while still letting me eek a G out of her if I need it later.

I actually don't run that many firebreathers. Moonveil Dragon was a snap include, and Steel Hellkite is quite good, but other than that I don't have much in the way of actual firebreathing. I am trying out Dragonrage as both a way to add mana to store it if necessary and as a way to give firebreathing to utilize Radha mana. Whether or not it's good, only testing will tell.

But what I lack in actual firebreathing, I'm making up for in other activated abilities. I've got a bit of cycling, some pingers, and a couple monstrosity dudes. One odd thing I'm trying out is Flowstone Overseer. His ability costs RR, which is exactly what Radha makes when she swings. He can buff one of my dudes or pick off utility dudes or tokens with low toughness. No idea how good that will be in practice, but I like trying out weird old cards.

And, of course, as I store mana and use it bit by bit, I need some finishers to start dumping it into. Naturally, I can win with beatdown by Hydra Broodmaster, Colossus of Akros, I can burn people out with Flameblast Dragon and Clan Defiance, or I can drop Apocalypse Hydra or Genesis Hydra to threaten big beats and such. But I do have one infinite combo in the deck at the moment: Radha + Savage Ventmaw + Hellkite Charger. Ventmaw gives me RRRGGG that doesn't empty until EOT, and Radha gives me RR. I just spend both Radha mana and five of the Ventmaw mana into Charger to untap and get another combat phase, which nets me another Ventmaw mana and another combat. End result: Infinite mana until end of turn and infinite combats.

The deck's still undergoing tweaks. I'm not sure what is best for my manabase and for my "mana manipulation" strategy (which I still don't have a great definition for). I'm on a bit of a budget, but I can work slowly towards more expensive components if needed. (I have a Wooded Foothills in another deck at the moment, so I'm either going to have to get another one or wait until I take apart that deck.)

Date added	9 years
Last updated	9 years
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	5 - 1 Mythic Rares 40 - 2 Rares 23 - 0 Uncommons 13 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	3.89
Tokens	Beast 3/3 G, Hydra */* G, Pentavite 1/1 C