Saskia Deckbuilding Directions?
Commander (EDH) forum
Posted on March 2, 2020, 11:50 p.m. by SplendiferousPotato
Hey all,
So, the printing of Saskia in the upcoming SLD has been the inspiration/encouragement/reason I needed to finally start building her, but I am a bit stuck with how to go about it. I currently have a bunch of directions in my head, but I need to file it down to make it work. Here are my vibes so far:
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Legends! I have found a bunch of combat-focused/synergistic to goof around with Saskia's ability, and I think a Legends theme could be very functional in a midrange value deck. Cards like Aurelia, the Warleader, Gisela, Blade of Goldnight, Queen Marchesa, Marisi, Breaker of the Coil
, Bruse Tarl, Boorish Herder, Zurgo Helmsmasher and Shalai, Voice of Plenty really offer a powerful way to supply the beatdown. I would of course throw in all of the Legends support spells, like Reki, History of Kamigawa, Captain Sisay (also in the SLD, by the way), Time of Need and Heroes' Podium. -
Sunforger! I love this card, and being in four colors gives me a bunch of really great targets to get my damage through, protect my board, find my answers to threats and grind out the game. A few stand-outs from my preliminary research include Naya Charm, Boros Charm, Eladamri's Call, Enlightened Tutor, Signal the Clans, Congregation at Dawn and Crackling Doom, and all of the best instant-speed removal I could want in pieces like StP, PtE, and personal favorite: Crush Contraband. There would need to be a couple Sunforger synergies to make this work, such as graveyard->library shuffle effects like Mistveil Plains or maybe even Gaea's Blessing? Not sure about graveyard shuffling effects, so I am open to suggestion.
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Curses! Saskia already reads like a Curse on a creature body, so I thought this may be a weird direction to go in! There are several fantastic Aura Curses in these colors, and I could run an enchantress-style of deck using these cards as a way to delay my opponents' plans and encourage them to attack each other instead of me. Good examples of cards to run in this theme are Curse of Disturbance, Curse of Bounty, Curse of Bloodletting, Curse of Opulence, and while not a Curse, Captive Audience is pretty hilarious - especially when cast against the right opponent. I would obviously run the supports cards to make this strategy work, such as the enchantress creatures and enchantment-casting synergies of the like.
So, I think some subset (maybe all?) of these themes and strategies could coexist, but I would love to see what y'all think. What could I do with my favorite badass asskicker?
SplendiferousPotato says... #3
I hadn't even thought of damage triggers . . . That's pretty interesting. I'm also glad to hesr that you find Sunforger to be a good deck piece - I think that, no matter how I swing it, there are just too many good pieces to NOT have a Sunforger package.
March 3, 2020 2:31 a.m.
Honestly Ive always thought a cool build for her would be a discard/spectre tribal. Shes in the right colors for a lot of the discard rewards, then also cards that can slow card draw and punish other players for drawing. Also since they all require hitting to cause their effect, they work great.
March 3, 2020 2:33 a.m.
SplendiferousPotato says... #5
I love that idea! I messed around with specter tribal when I first started playing commander a while back, and it was just never enough on its own, but maybe Saskia is the way to take advantage of all aspects of the tribal, from the inherent aggressiveness of the trigger to the colors available!
Great idea, dbpunk!
March 3, 2020 2:41 a.m.
SplendiferousPotato says... #6
Hmmm, problem with the specter idea: there really aren't enough, and there are a lot of blue ones that I want and can't use.
March 3, 2020 3:09 a.m.
Thats a shame. Maybe fill in the blanks with nonspectre creatures that deal damage to discard or punish players for drawing cards?
March 3, 2020 4:04 a.m.
DrukenReaps says... #8
Oh I forgot to mention, I think you should have a package of blink effects. 5 to 7 of them should be plenty. The main purpose of them would be to re-target your commander. They can also save your creatures from removal so it is rarely a waste of space. Eldrazi Displacer and Flickerform seem like a good start. I don't know how well it would play out but it would be annoying to take out the chosen player and not have some way to get a new chosen one.
March 3, 2020 5:47 a.m.
SplendiferousPotato says... #9
You are definitely right. They can even be a part of the sunforger package! Ghostway and Ephemerate for the win!
March 3, 2020 7:17 a.m.
PhotogenicParasympathetic says... #10
To add on to the Sunforger options, Valorous Stance is good both at protecting Saskia and removing an opposing threat, while Brave the Elements and similar effects will let you punch in through blockers.
Also, Comeuppance/Deflecting Palm are my favorite things to snag with Sunforger.
March 3, 2020 2:36 p.m.
I would have to add to the amazing Legendary tribal option by adding the slightly outdated The Legend of Saskia. There should be a bunch of ideas there, with a third of the deck being legendary creatures.
March 4, 2020 6:18 a.m.
RNR_Gaming says... #12
Definitely go with a combat focus and things that either go over or under other creatures. Lay on the beats and have damage doublers as your pay offs. Lay cmc hate bears and a decent suit of removal.
March 4, 2020 6:59 p.m.
SplendiferousPotato says... #15
Ohhhhh like Gaddock Teeg, Hushbringer, etc.? What would you recommend?
Gaddock is also a legend, so tutorable and on theme!
March 4, 2020 8:03 p.m.
I would look at cards that promote creature play & punish/remove noncreature threats. Kambal, Consul of Allocation, Heartwood Storyteller, Ruric Thar, the Unbowed, Cindervines, Bane of Progress, any number of draw when creature enters (a large portion of those) to keep fuel in the tank. Mass enchantment/artifact removal. Then you are crapping on prison effects while winning the creature battle.
DrukenReaps says... #2
I was actually just thinking about her the other night because I'm getting the Secret Lair that she will be in. I think the best route to make use of her is things that trigger on damage. Some of those legends are a good start but if you don't mind infect it would be great with her. Lifelink, double strike, and trample are all "nicer" keywords that people get less upset by. True Conviction is high on the CMC but potentially every bit as devastating as Triumph of the Hordes.
Some good cards with on damage triggers Charnelhoard Wurm, Stigma Lasher, Soltari Visionary, Phantom Nishoba, Order of Yawgmoth, and Hypnotic Specter. These triggers are on damage so with Saskia in play they go off twice.
Angel of Deliverance is a maybe. I don't like the cost or the hoop but the effect is strong...
Avenging Druid is interesting but maybe Hunting Cheetah is less painful? Depends on if you do any grave stuff.
Otherwise I like the Sunforger plan. A lot of combat tricks can be had here. Though Sunforger is usually only a piece of a deck and not the only thing going on in it.
March 3, 2020 2:11 a.m.