The Uncommonly Aristocratic Arvad

Commander / EDH Aristocrats Budget Combo Theme/Gimmick Tokens WB (Orzhov)

triproberts12

Creature (32)

• 1x Aven Mindcensor
• 1x Blood Artist
• 1x Carrier Thrall
• 1x Carrion Feeder
• 1x Corpse Knight
• 1x Cruel Celebrant
• 1x Leonin Relic-Warder
• 1x Lesser Masticore
• 1x Lingering Tormentor
• 1x Marsh Flitter
• 1x Mesmeric Fiend
• 1x Militia Bugler
• 1x Millikin
• 1x Ministrant of Obligation
• 1x Mother of Runes
• 1x Orzhov Enforcer
• 1x Pawn of Ulamog
• 1x Pitiless Plunderer
• 1x Reassembling Skeleton
• 1x Restless Apparition
• 1x Sadistic Hypnotist
• 1x Sengir Autocrat
• 1x Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker
• 1x Sling-Gang Lieutenant
• 1x Soul Warden
• 1x Syr Konrad, the Grim
• 1x Vesperlark
• 1x Vindictive Vampire
• 1x Viscera Seer
• 1x Vizier of Remedies
• 1x Weaponcraft Enthusiast
• 1x Zulaport Cutthroat

Land (36)

• 1x Ancient Tomb
• 1x Ash Barrens
• 1x Barren Moor
• 1x City of Brass
• 1x Field of Ruin
• 1x Forsaken Sanctuary
• 1x Gemstone Mine
• 1x Myriad Landscape
• 1x Orzhov Basilica
• 9x Plains
• 1x Secluded Steppe
• 1x Shefet Dunes
• 1x Strip Mine
• 14x Swamp
• 1x Tainted Field

Artifact (9)

• 1x Ashnod's Altar
• 1x Blasting Station
• 1x Fellwar Stone
• 1x Genesis Chamber
• 1x Mind Stone
• 1x Orzhov Signet
• 1x Skullclamp
• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Talisman of Hierarchy

Enchantment (6)

• 1x Animate Dead
• 1x Bastion of Remembrance
• 1x Dance of the Dead
• 1x Ghostly Prison
• 1x Necromancy
• 1x Promise of Bunrei

Commander (1)

Sorcery (9)

• 1x Ambition's Cost
• 1x Ancient Craving
• 1x Bankrupt in Blood
• 1x Buried Alive
• 1x Demonic Tutor
• 1x Final Parting
• 1x Lingering Souls
• 1x Night's Whisper
• 1x Victimize

Instant (7)

• 1x Crush Contraband
• 1x Demonic Consultation
• 1x Dire Tactics
• 1x Enlightened Tutor
• 1x Generous Gift
• 1x Path to Exile
• 1x Swords to Plowshares

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I played with a guy a while ago that had an all-uncommon Tatyova, Benthic Druid deck. I thought the idea was really cool, but it mostly felt like a lot of draft chaff being supported by Constant Mists and Sylvan Library. I was poking around with uncommon combo pieces, though, and found that there's a surprisingly robust selection of uncommon Orzhov cards out there. The funny thing about white and black is that some of the most powerful cards are at uncommon. There's excellent targeted removal, tutors, Blood Artist effects, and army-in-a-can cards.

The weaknesses are that you don't get effects that only appear at rare like Wraths and mass-reanimation, and, oddly enough, being cut off commons. For example, uncommon dual lands aren't really a thing. Tainted Field is an option, but Orzhov Guildgate and Scoured Barrens aren't. No Arcane Signet, but Ashnod's Altar is cool. As a result, the mana is pretty bad, so I minimized the colored costs of cards.

The end result is part-combo, part-aristocrats. This is actually the first EDH deck I've built where there's never really any intention to cast the commander. Due to quirks in recent uncommon cycles, Arvad the Cursed just happens to be the only uncommon WBx commander available at the moment. I'd place the power level somewhere around an 8/10, due to the ease of finding and powering out the two main combos in the deck- Unimpeded, it can win as early as turn 4, but between turns 6-8 is more typical. By replacing Demonic Tutor, Ancient Tomb, Strip Mine, Enlightened Tutor and Necromancy, the deck could easily be brought under $100 or deprived of most ways to go off before turn 6!

Here are the winning lines of play:

Leonin Relic-Warder in yard+Necromancy/Dance of the Dead/Animate Dead+Blood Artist effect/Genesis Chamber for infinite myr tokens (an option in most of these cases that I'll just leave out for the sake of brevity)

Vizier of Remedies+Lingering Tormentor/Restless Apparition/Lesser Masticore+Blood Artist effect with a free sac outlet/Blasting Station

Final Parting tutoring Animate Dead/Dance of the Dead to hand and binning Leonin Relic-Warder+Blood Artist effect

Buried Alive binning Vizier of Remedies and a Persist creature+Victimize+Blood Artist effect with a free sac outlet/Blasting Station

Buried Alive binning Leonin Relic-Warder+Animate Dead effect+Blood Artist effect

Ashnod's Altar+Reassembling Skeleton in play or in yard+Pitiless Plunderer+Blood Artist effect

Ashnod's Altar+Debt to the Deathless+tokens

Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker+Sling-Gang Lieutenant/Marsh Flitter/Weaponcraft Enthusiast+Blood Artist effect with a free sac outlet/Blasting Station

Top Ranked	Achieved #1 position in Commander / EDH Aristocrats 4 years ago Achieved #1 position in Commander / EDH Budget 4 years ago Achieved #1 position in Commander / EDH Tokens 4 years ago Achieved #1 position in Commander / EDH WB (Orzhov) 4 years ago
Date added	4 years
Last updated	3 years
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	6 - 0 Rares 60 - 0 Uncommons 11 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	2.62
Tokens	Eldrazi Scion 1/1 C, Eldrazi Spawn 0/1 C, Elephant 3/3 G, Goblin 1/1 R, Goblin Rogue 1/1 B, Human Soldier 1/1 W, Myr 1/1 C, Serf 0/1 B, Servo 1/1 C, Spirit 1/1 C, Spirit 1/1 W, Spirit 1/1 WB, Treasure
Folders	good stoof