Rebel Affinity

Commander / EDH Artifact Combo Enchant Humans Mono-White Multiplayer Rebel Weenie

PapLaRiviere

Creature (28)

• 1x Amrou Seekers
• 1x Argivian Archaeologist
• 1x Ballista Squad
• 1x Children of Korlis
• 1x Cho-Arrim Bruiser
• 1x Cho-Manno, Revolutionary
• 1x Defiant Falcon
• 1x Giver of Runes
• 1x Jhovall Rider
• 1x Knight of the Holy Nimbus
• 1x Lawbringer
• 1x Lightbringer
• 1x Mangara, the Diplomat
• 1x Mentor of the Meek
• 1x Metallic Mimic
• 1x Metalworker
• 1x Mirror Entity
• 1x Mother of Runes
• 1x Nightwind Glider
• 1x Outrider en-Kor
• 1x Ramosian Revivalist
• 1x Ramosian Sergeant
• 1x Reveille Squad
• 1x Steadfast Guard
• 1x Task Force
• 1x Walking Ballista
• 1x Weathered Wayfarer
• 1x Zealot il-Vec

Sorcery (3)

• 1x Gift of Estates
• 1x Idyllic Tutor
• 1x Sevinne's Reclamation

Artifact (18)

• 1x Aether Vial
• 1x Aetherflux Reservoir
• 1x Basalt Monolith
• 1x Basilisk Collar
• 1x Coat of Arms
• 1x Endless Atlas
• 1x Extraplanar Lens
• 1x Gilded Lotus
• 1x Lightning Greaves
• 1x Mana Crypt
• 1x Mox Opal
• 1x Nemesis Mask
• 1x Nyx Lotus
• 1x Rings of Brighthearth
• 1x Sensei's Divining Top
• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Staff of Domination
• 1x Umbral Mantle

Enchantment (8)

• 1x Bound in Silence
• 1x Gift of Immortality
• 1x Honor of the Pure
• 1x Inheritance
• 1x Land Tax
• 1x Pariah
• 1x Reconnaissance
• 1x Worship

Instant (8)

• 1x Disenchant
• 1x Enlightened Tutor
• 1x Generous Gift
• 1x Mana Tithe
• 1x Path to Exile
• 1x Swords to Plowshares
• 1x Teferi's Protection
• 1x Tithe

Commander (1)

Land (33)

• 1x Ancient Den
• 1x Buried Ruin
• 1x Cavern of Souls
• 1x Deserted Temple
• 1x Eiganjo Castle
• 1x Emeria, the Sky Ruin
• 1x Hall of Heliod's Generosity
• 1x Kor Haven
• 1x Miren, the Moaning Well
• 1x Mistveil Plains
• 1x Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
• 1x Sanctum of Eternity
• 1x Serra's Sanctum
• 18x Snow-Covered Plains
• 1x Vesuva
• 1x Wasteland

Planeswalker (1)

• 1x Elspeth, Knight-Errant

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Sideboard

Artifact (8)

• 1x Cloudstone Curio
• 1x Maskwood Nexus
• 1x Pearl Medallion
• 1x Relic of Progenitus
• 1x Scroll Rack
• 1x Skullclamp
• 1x The Immortal Sun
• 1x Throne of the God-Pharaoh

Sorcery (2)

• 1x Open the Armory
• 1x Retribution of the Meek

Enchantment (1)

• 1x Stony Silence

Creature (1)

• 1x Ramosian Captain

Instant (1)

• 1x Condemn

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Maybeboard

Creature (30)

• 1x Academy Rector
• 1x Amrou Scout
• 1x Aven Riftwatcher
• 1x Big Game Hunter
• 1x Blade of the Sixth Pride
• 1x Blightspeaker
• 1x Defiant Vanguard
• 1x Dunerider Outlaw
• 1x Errant Doomsayers
• 1x Fresh Volunteers
• 1x Jhovall Queen
• 1x Kami of False Hope
• 1x Monastery Mentor
• 1x Pious Warrior
• 1x Puresteel Paladin
• 1x Ramosian Lieutenant
• 1x Ramosian Sky Marshal
• 1x Rathi Trapper
• 1x Rebel Informer
• 1x Riftmarked Knight
• 1x Saltfield Recluse
• 1x Samite Censer-Bearer
• 1x Shield Dancer
• 1x Skyshroud Poacher
• 1x Soul Charmer
• 1x Springjack Shepherd
• 1x Sword Dancer
• 1x Thermal Glider
• 1x Trenching Steed
• 1x Whipcorder

Artifact (18)

• 1x Caged Sun
• 1x Crucible of Worlds
• 1x Distorting Lens
• 1x Farsight Mask
• 1x Gauntlet of Power
• 1x Heartstone
• 1x Illusionist's Bracers
• 1x Konda's Banner
• 1x Lithoform Engine
• 1x Magewright's Stone
• 1x Maskwood Nexus
• 1x Mind's Eye
• 1x Norn's Annex
• 1x Swiftfoot Boots
• 1x Tel-Jilad Stylus
• 1x Thornbite Staff
• 1x Thousand-Year Elixir
• 1x Thran Dynamo

Sorcery (3)

• 1x Dusk / Dawn
• 1x Slaughter the Strong
• 1x Steelshaper's Gift

Land (7)

• 1x Castle Ardenvale
• 1x Drifting Meadow
• 1x Fabled Passage
• 1x Idyllic Grange
• 1x Inventors' Fair
• 1x Mutavault
• 1x Strip Mine

Enchantment (6)

• 1x Cho-Manno's Blessing
• 1x Crackdown
• 1x Divine Sacrament
• 1x Glorious Anthem
• 1x Marshal's Anthem
• 1x Smothering Tithe

Instant (5)

• 1x Reverent Mantra
• 1x Scapegoat
• 1x Second Sunrise
• 1x Secure the Wastes
• 1x Swift Response

Planeswalker (1)

• 1x Elspeth, Sun's Champion

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Hello, and thanks for viewing my deck.

This is my attempt to bring a favorite deck from many years ago back to life in today's gaming environment. I have always enjoyed playing Rebels due to their recruiting ability. In years past, quite a few Rebels were introduced - most with some cool little ability which provide the opportunity to incorporate various sub-strategies into a deck.

I realize that I tend to attach large "Maybeboards" to many of my decks which may seem ridiculous to some, but I find it helpful as I play test and ponder new ideas. Hopefully, it also helps others to have a handy list of the most commonly used cards for a given deck archetype readily available in one location. Think of it as a template as you design your own Rebel deck.

Addenda: This is turning out to be more of a challenge than I expected. Rebels were once a proud Tribe, but they have been left behind over the years. When I look at other Lin Sivvi decks, they have more non-Rebels in them than Rebels, so it is hard for me to consider them "Rebel" decks. Black has a few Rebels, but nothing exciting. Green has one Rebel - but it recruits Elves. I would prefer to keep this a White Rebel deck, but I may have to splash another colour. Perhaps I can wrap my mind around the idea of a Rebel/Elf Alliance.

I am always open to hearing ideas from others on potential improvements to my decks.

Deck Building Philosophies

Once I decide that I am going to construct a new deck around a given archetype (i.e. tribal, affinity, combo, control, mill, etc.) and flavours (i.e. Vampires, Slivers, weenie, stompy, colour(s), etc.); my first thought is, "What game mechanics do I want to incorporate to create a deck that is fresh, fun, interesting, and reasonably competitive?"

Once I have a general idea what I want, my next thought is, "How am I going to win the game?". From there I begin considering my Wincons and studying what cards will take me to my desired end state.

When building a deck, I feel it is important that one can quickly and easily articulate a purpose/reason/mission for each and every card in the deck. Trying to decide what to pull when considering a new card for the deck should be a painful experience.

Wincons

WINCONS:

1. Assembling, pumping, and augmenting a large Rebel army and kicking butt.

2. One of several Infinite Combo possibilities.

3. Through direct damage to my opponents via ETB, LTB, Attack, and State Based effects.

4. A combination of any of the above.

Overall Deck Strategy

These areas are currently under construction and are updated frequently - Feel free to check back often

Simply put, this is a go wide deck designed for combat. The primary strategy is to utilize the Recruiters to quickly amass a formidable Rebel army and destroy my enemies by fire and maneuver.

I typically strive to keep my decks within theme, nevertheless, a few non-Rebels managed to work themselves into the deck. Rebels can be put directly into play from the library once I have a recruiter or two on the battlefield.

The relatively low cmc average allows me to control the tempo of the early game in most cases; keeping my opponents on the defensive and disrupting their ability to develop their own battle plans.

Mulligans

I never keep an opening hand which does not contain at least one land.

Resourcing the Battle

RESOURCING THE BATTLE:

This deck is hungry for mana in order to build the force quickly. Colourless mana provides the vast majority of the fuel required to take the deck to victory. Besides having a fairly solid Land base, the deck utilizes numerous mana rocks (Artifacts) such as Basalt Monolith , Gilded Lotus , Mana Crypt , Mox Opal , Nyx Lotus , and Sol Ring .

I chose Snow-Covered Plains as my basic Land so that only I would gain benefit from Extraplanar Lens . Once I begin to get a sizable board developed, Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx , Serra's Sanctum , Extraplanar Lens , and Nyx Lotus begin to produce mana at rates my opponents can not compete with.

Land Tax , Pearl Medallion

Card advantage is an important aspect of any winning deck. To ensure I always have cards in hand, I included Mangara, the Diplomat , Inheritance , Endless Atlas , Mentor of the Meek , and Gift of Estates . For top deck manipulation, Sensei's Divining Top . So far, I have not included any fetch lands on the theory that the multiple Tutors and Recruiters, among a few others, will give me ample opportunity to force a shuffle if I am dissatisfied with what I have stacked at the top of my Library.

Idyllic Tutor , Enlightened Tutor , Tithe , Weathered Wayfarer

This deck is heavy with artifacts to include Artifact Creatures and an Artifact Land to help obtain metalcraft for Mox Opal as well as to take advantage of their built-in abilities. Likewise, the deck runs a few more Enchantments than many EDH decks.

Assemble the force

ASSEMBLE THE FORCE:

Recruiters:
Amrou Scout
Defiant Falcon
Defiant Vanguard
Lin Sivvi, Defiant Hero
Ramosian Captain
Ramosian Lieutenant
Ramosian Sergeant
Ramosian Sky Marshal

Once I cast the first Recruiter or two from my hand, I use them to recruit bigger and better Recruiters during the early game. You almost always want to save your mana and recruit at the end of your opponent's turn. This keeps your mana available if a "situation" arises and avoids dealing with summoning sickness during your turn. Lin Sivvi, Defiant Hero is the most mana efficient Recruiter in the game and getting her on the board early pays big dividends as the match progresses. An important distinction is that your Recruiters do not "cast" a Rebel spell. Rather, they put the Rebel directly into play. This means that your recruited Rebels are immune to counter spells or any card which slows, stops, exiles, or alters a "Spell".

Most of the Rebels in the deck provide various abilities and benefits - recruit those you need to meet the specific situation you face. You can recruit at any time you have priority!

Aether Vial

Elspeth, Knight-Errant

Force Protection

PROTECT THE FORCE:

Recruiters do not "cast" a Rebel spell. Rather, they put the Rebel directly into play. This means that your recruited Rebels are immune to counter spells or any card which slows, stops, exiles, or alters a "Spell". For those creatures you do have to cast from your hand, Cavern of Souls can help ensure they make it onto the battlefield.

Mother of Runes and Giver of Runes are worth their weight in gold to help me survive until I can assemble my forces and to protect against attack.

Bound in Silence is a Rebel Enchantment and can also be recruited directly into play. Use Bound in Silence to neutralize your biggest threat.

Reconnaissance is an incredible card in any deck with attack triggers and doubly so in a deck with a go wide strategy, such as Rebels. The ability doesn't prevent damage that has already been dealt, it just removes the creature from combat (after which it can't deal or receive damage, hence the reminder text). To put the card to best use, attack with all your creatures (even a 0/1). Once your opponent has assigned blockers, untap any of your attackers facing an immediate lethal threat. After first strike damage is assigned, but before normal combat damage, untap any creatures still in peril. Finally, untap any remaining creatures after normal combat damage is dealt, but before the combat phase ends. This plan will leave you with all your creatures intact, untapped and ready to block or activate abilities.

Lightning Greaves provides Shroud and Haste to the equipped creature. With no equipping cost, you can freely move it around as needed from creature to creature (you control) during (only) your turn and when the stack is empty. At the end of your turn, put it on your most vulnerable/important creature to ensure said creature makes it through to your next turn.

Path to Exile , Generous Gift , Swords to Plowshares , Disenchant

Kor Haven , Sanctum of Eternity

Teferi's Protection

Cho-Manno, Revolutionary , Pariah

Worship , Elspeth, Knight-Errant

Force Multipliers

Glorious Anthem , Metallic Mimic

Elspeth, Knight-Errant

Once I have a few Rebels in position, Coat of Arms will pump the entire army into an insanely powerful force. If you have a changeling on the field, remember that it gains +1/+1 for EVERY creature on the battlefield. Most of the older Rebels and Mother of Runes have updated errata assigning them the additional sub-type, "Human", allowing me to also pump most of the non-Rebels. Do use a little forethought before throwing Coat of Arms onto the table as it's ability will also apply to your opponent's creatures.

Combining first strike with deathtouch, via Basilisk Collar , is a devastating attack for any attacking or blocking creatures. It can also pay to think outside the box when considering deathtouch as deathtouch applies to ANY damage a creature inflicts - so, for example, Ballista Squad equipped with Basilisk Collar can take out most any attacking or blocking creature before combat damage is dealt!!! The same thought process can be applied to a collared Zealot il-Vec or Walking Ballista to remove seemingly undefeatable Creatures from the battle.

Staff of Domination ,

Reinforcements

Lin Sivvi, Defiant Hero and Ramosian Revivalist can bring Rebels back from the graveyard (to include Bound in Silence ).

Ramosian Revivalist recruits from the graveyard. He is expensive to use, but it puts your Rebels directly back into play at Instant speed. Typically, I hold Ramosian Revivalist in reserve and only put him on the board if I need to bring back a key Rebel or to recover from a board wipe.

Emeria, The Sky Ruin , Hall of Heliod's Generosity , Mistveil Plains . Sevinne's Reclamation

I included Argivian Archaeologist and Buried Ruin to help get key artifacts out of the Graveyard and back into the game.

Rebel Deck Combos/Synergies

This area is under construction - check back often

PLAYER PROTECTION:

Cho-Manno, Revolutionary + Pariah
This well known combo is pretty straight forward. Enchant Cho-Manno, Revolutionary with Pariah . Allow any and all damage dealt by opponents to come through and deflect said damage to Cho-Manno, Revolutionary where it has no effect. Protect Cho-Manno, Revolutionary from exile with Mother of Runes .

CREATURE PROTECTION:

Cho-Manno, Revolutionary + Outrider en-Kor

Mother of Runes + Outrider en-Kor + any Creature
If Outrider en-Kor and the "other" Creature are both taking damage from sources of the same colour, protect the other creature with Mother of Runes. Use Outrider en-Kor's ability to redirect all damage to the protected creature permitting both to emerge unscathed.

INFINITE MANA:

Metalworker + Umbral Mantle + 2 artifacts in hand

Metalworker + Staff of Domination + 3 artifacts in hand

Basalt Monolith + Rings of Brighthearth

Deserted Temple + Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx + Rings of Brighthearth + devotion to white of 6+

INFINITE CARD DRAW:

With any Rings of Brighthearth infinite mana combo, you can add Sensei's Divining Top to draw out your deck.

INFINITE LIFE:

Miren, the Moaning Well + Outrider en-Kor + Task Force

Miren, the Moaning Well + Task Force + Umbral Mantle

Infinite mana + Metalworker + Staff of Domination

Infinite mana + Miren, the Moaning Well + Mirror Entity

CREATURE DESTRUCTION:

Basilisk Collar + Zealot il-Vec

Notes on Game Play, Strengths, Weaknesses and Potential Upgrades

WEAKNESSES:

STRENGTHS:

UPGRADES UNDER CONSIDERATION:

I am currently using the "Sideboard" to hold cards which I am play testing and/or want to move into the main deck.

Thinking about putting Captain Sisay into the Commander slot and moving Lin Sivvi, Defiant Hero into the Main Board. The deck already has quite a few Legendaries which would make Sisay a valuable Tutor. This would also allow me to splash Green and slide in a Gaea's Cradle .

Date added	4 years
Last updated	3 years
Key combos	Basalt Monolith + Rings of Brighthearth Metalworker + Umbral Mantle Metalworker + Staff of Domination Cho-Manno, Revolutionary + Pariah Deserted Temple + Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx + Rings of Brighthearth Miren, the Moaning Well + Outrider en-Kor + Task Force Cho-Manno, Revolutionary + Outrider en-Kor Mother of Runes + Outrider en-Kor Miren, the Moaning Well + Mirror Entity Miren, the Moaning Well + Task Force + Umbral Mantle Basilisk Collar + Zealot il-Vec
Legality	This deck is not Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	7 - 2 Mythic Rares 41 - 6 Rares 20 - 5 Uncommons 14 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	2.55
Tokens	Elephant 3-3 G, Emblem Elspeth, Knight-Errant, Shapeshifter 2/2 U, Soldier 1/1 W
Folders	Commander, Dad’s Decks, not my decks, Future Ideas