I’d like help building a bracket 3 deck that specializes in starving mana bases.
Commander Deck Help forum
Posted on Jan. 13, 2026, 12:06 p.m. by StopShot
All my bracket 3 matches have been feeling like bracket 3.9 matches lately, because game ending plays are starting to hit the table at times more in line with bracket 4 than bracket 3. (They insist they’re playing bracket 3 because they only use 3 game changers.)
I’m building in mardu colors as I won’t have to spend money on a new manabase and I want to build a new deck that excels in slowing/jamming up the early game rather than speed up all my tier 3 decks. I want to keep this new deck in spirit of bracket 3’s policy of “no mass land denial,” so no Armageddon or Blood Moon. I don’t want to lock players out of their resources, but I do want to starve their resources enough so that turn 4 wins occur more on turn 6 and that my opponents are usually short a mana or two from ending games, but still have enough mana to play interaction.
To achieve this I’m thinking about building a deck with lots of cheap group discard effects, tax effects, and cards that excel at blowing up turn 2 mana rocks as a means of putting strain on my opponents’ mana bases. The commander I’m thinking about running is Kelsien, the Plague as an answer to mana-dorks as well. The deck is in early development so I don’t have a deck list, but I’d like to hear if anyone has any card recommendations, deck lists I could take inspiration from, and/or primers/guides on how I should build this deck archetype that I should consider. I’m also a bit lost on what wincons would work best as I do want this to be a deck I can win with. (I’m not interested in winning faster as I do like playing the role of janitor, cleaning up other player’s threats before utilizing my own.)
RiotRunner789 says... #3
Possibly cards like Confounding Conundrum and/or Price of Glory.
There is also Mana Barbs and several cards that operate like mana barbs to slow down how much mana you can comfortably use.
Also, Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger, but he's close to mana denial.
Crow_Umbra says... #2
It sounds like tax effects would probably be your best bet. Beyond stax/tax effects like Glowrider or Archon of Emeria, you could also make use of "speed bumps" like Authority of the Consuls and similar effects. Other stuff to consider could be Alpine Moon or Thalia, Heretic Cathar.
If mana dorks and smaller utility creatures are an issue, you could also use Goad or Edict effects to keep boards cleared or in compromised positions. Stax/tax, Goad, & Edicts are all in the Mardu playbook.
As for a Mardu commander option, there is the new Squall, Gunblade Duelist if you're not opposed to Universes Beyond. Otherwise, I think Kelsien is a solid option to be able to ping threats.
January 13, 2026 12:47 p.m.