Which commander to build?
Commander Deck Help forum
Posted on Nov. 27, 2018, 6:24 p.m. by SMASHER101
I'm wondering weather to build Innala or Riku. I don't want to spend hundreds of dollars. I'm fine with combo winning every game, but I don't want to win every game with infinite combo. Infinite combo can be a backup plan but I don't want to just tutor for infinite 2 card combos every game. Which commander would be best?
Riku decks are great, as you can make them in different ways to suit how you want the deck to run. I've run my Riku deck as a spells matter deck, then changed it to a creature ETB deck.
With spells, you can go the infinite turns route or value spells route, like what goodair said with big X spells like Banefire or Epic Experiment.
With creatures you can focus more on synergies with combos included. Palinchron combos with Riku on it's own, but I've found it's more fun to just copy value creatures like Inferno Titan, Mulldrifter and Woodfall Primus. Biovisionary is also a hilarious way to win, and not to hard if you run Rite of Replication, Phantasmal Image, Clever Impersonator, etc.
You can check out my decklists if you'd like:
Spell-based Riku:
Riku of the Infinite Turns
Commander / EDH
SCORE: 3 | 5 COMMENTS | 686 VIEWS | IN 2 FOLDERS
Creature-based Riku:
Riku of the Infinite ETB Triggers
Commander / EDH
128 VIEWS | IN 1 FOLDER
November 27, 2018 8:11 p.m.
goblinguiderevealpls says... #4
why not go Jodah, Archmage Eternal and play 5c wizards and run both, plus Yidris, Maelstrom Wielder :3
November 27, 2018 9:13 p.m.
goblinguiderevealpls says... #5
you dont necessarily need to spend money on lands, theres a lot of cheap 5 color lands especially the slow lands and theres always Chromatic Lantern and green ramp for basics
November 28, 2018 1:57 p.m.
IAmTheWraith says... #6
You technically didn't even answer the question asked by the author, so let me pick up the slack:
I think that if you plan on building cheap, both decks have really good options, but Riku is just more flexible. He lets you build spell based or creature based, or a little of both and he isn't tribal dependant. Copying big spells like Time Stretch or a creature that wins you the game like Biovisionary or Tidespout Tyrant feel less infinite combo-y and really more synergistic.
But, if you do want something more linear, Inalla, Archmage Ritualist can be a great commander to build and can be really fun if built correctly.
The decision is ultimately yours, but I hope my feedback helps
November 28, 2018 3:53 p.m.
SMASHER101 says... #7
FYI I have a lot of lands so no need to spend money on nonbasics.
IAmTheWraith I tried building Innala and I found it very hard to make a linear deck without wanderwind combo, I do want a "fun" deck that is a bit less serious, how would one "correctly" build innala?
Also I like the idea of riku etb.
November 29, 2018 10:13 a.m.
IAmTheWraith says... #8
I think building Inalla correctly involves looking at value wizards.
I like things like Archaeomancer, Dualcaster Mage, Riverwise Augur, and Sea Gate Oracle. Really things to look for are dig tools, and win the game off of sheer amounts of card advantage, and can go on a wizard beatdown.
Hope this helps
goodair says... #2
riku might be more flexible (not limited to wizards and can be spell based), and I imagine copying a big X spell must feel pretty damn good. That being said, this question is better for someone who plays/played vs both these decks. Only seen a Riku deck once and felt like it was a glass cannon the way it was built.
November 27, 2018 7:22 p.m.