"When the tides began whispering secrets too ancient for even gods to bear, Kiora followed the current — and found herself among stone-eyed sisters, whose venomous wisdom flowed deeper than any sea."

I'm playing with the idea of diving deeper into the sea and bringing Kiora into the Sisterhood. There's already some groundwork for that in the deck, and I think Thassa would approve. Then again — as it often happens with me — I might just end up building a whole new deck full of Krakens, Octopi, and Merfolk. We'll see how much the blue color wins me over.

Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner , Kiora, Master of the Depths , Kiora, the Crashing Wave and some Krakens like Stormsurge Kraken or Nadir Kraken and Kiora's Dambreaker.

The deck combines classic goblin swarm tactics (with Krenko, Mob Boss, Legion Warboss, Krenko, Baron of Tin Street, and Gut, True Soul Zealot) with value sacrifice engines like Oni-Cult Anvil, Sling-Gang Lieutenant, Mahadi, Emporium Master, and Juri, Master of the Revue.

Finishers include Goblin Grenade, which turns your tokens into direct 5-damage nukes, and Shared Animosity, which makes your wide board deadly in one swing.

While it’s not the fastest deck in the format, the synergy between goblin lords (Mad Auntie, Goblin Warchief) and the recursion/sacrifice support allows for grindy, unpredictable games that can turn explosive out of nowhere.

Sideboard includes extra burn (Lightning Bolt, Skullcrack), recursion tools (Deadly Dispute), and two copies of Siege-Gang Commander for bigger board presence when needed.

Deck is constantly evolving, open to tuning!

The deck is built on classic Elf synergies:

Ramp and lord effects via Priest of Titania, Elvish Archdruid, Imperious Perfect Token generation from Dwynen's Elite, Elvish Warmaster Buffs and anthem support from Dwynen, Gilt-Leaf Daen, Immaculate Magistrate, and Tyvar Kell

Main win conditions: Abomination of Llanowar – a giant trampling threat that scales with every Elf you control and in your graveyard Shaman of the Pack – drains opponents when you flood the board. Lathril, Blade of the Elves – can take over games by herself if she sticks Tall token swings – swarming with boosted Elf tokens can often close out the game

The sideboard currently serves as a thematic pool and an upgrade wishlist. I plan to: Add more copies of Shaman of the Pack Possibly include Ezuri, Renegade Leader for an alternative overrun finisher Improve the mana base (currently using tap lands like Golgari Guildgate and Golgari Rot Farm) Possibly include early ramp like Llanowar Elves for faster openings

This deck isn't meant for Modern tournaments — it's built for casual 1v1 play or relaxed multiplayer. It’s already effective at overwhelming the board and has lots of room for future growth. For me, it’s also a tribute to a beloved tribe and a deck that keeps evolving.

seshiro_of_the_orochi: Thanks for your comment – and for the +1 on Hellegion! :)

Honestly, I’m not quite sure what a spider holding a bow would look like… maybe with one of its legs? Haha. But Vraska? She’d have no trouble at all. Jokes aside, you actually pointed me toward a simple combo I had completely missed – poisoned shots at opponents. Viridian Longbow plus Infect or Fynn, the Fangbearer is a really cool idea.

To be honest, I’ve been thinking more and more about building another deck – a Gorgon/Snake tribal with Vraska, Aphellia, Damia, and similar characters. The only thing that holds me back is figuring out what direction this current spider deck would go in then, because I wouldn’t want to run the same cards and strategies in both.

As for the infinite mana and board wipe combo – it’s a brilliant idea. I’m just a bit worried my playgroup might not be so nice to me for the rest of the evening. But hey, why not try it at least once, right?

Cards that protect Shelob are very welcome. I’ve already tried to include a few similar effects, and thanks to you I now see even more possibilities. Appreciate it!

I'm really glad to see your interest, and I'm happy to share my experiences and ideas here. The deck works quite well overall, so making major changes is difficult. After our last test night, I made a few adjustments and added some new cards. However, I couldn’t include everything—mostly because I honestly don’t know what to cut yet. I’ll need to play a few more games against different opponents to better identify underperforming cards.

To start, I swapped out Sentinel Spider for Skysnare Spider. Both are dear to me, but Skysnare offers better overall value. I also added Deathsprout—more removal improves defense, and fetching an extra land boosts mana ramp for my bigger spiders.

With a heavy heart, I removed Arachnus Spinner and Arachnus Web. They're fantastic for flavor, but the Web isn’t very effective, and together they take up two valuable slots.

I’ve also expanded Vraska’s influence in the deck—she now takes a place on the battlefield herself. Vraska, the Silencer brings deathtouch, shrinks the opponent’s graveyard, and generates treasures to help with ramp. As for Vraska and the slight snake theme in the deck—although I was hesitant at first, I’ve grown to like it. I can easily imagine Vraska or even Saryth working alongside spiders.

Flavor-wise, the next card might be pushing it a bit, but mechanically Greta, Sweettooth Scourge fits the deck very well. She interacts nicely with Food tokens, improves card draw, and buffs spiders.

Lastly, I added Revitalizing Repast  ^Flip. I couldn’t resist such a solid card—it protects Shelob or other key creatures, provides a buff, and can even support ramp.

To make room, I cut Aquastrand Spider and Scavenging Ooze. The Ooze is strong, but off-theme and not essential here.

As the final touch, I included The Swarmweaver. More tokens and spider buffs are always welcome. I removed Wilt in its place—a good card, but situational, even if it can replace itself.

In the waiting album I’ve got Broodspinner, Nyx Weaver, Graverobber Spider, Attendant of Vraska, Vraska's Fall, Back for More, You Look Upon the Tarrasque, Cairn Wanderer, and Graveshifter. Time will tell if any of them will find a home in the nest.

Commander Update: Shadows Rise, Flames Burn

After several games against tough opponents, I’ve made a few changes to the deck and, more importantly, swapped the commander of the Hellegion. The Balrog, Durin's Bane is still very much part of the deck—playing him as a commander was fun and flavorful, but I wanted a leader who can impact my board more directly and help set the pace of the game. The Balrog remains a force of nature, and having him lurking in the deck, ready to be unleashed, still feels great. I believe he’ll continue to be a major threat even when he's not always leading the charge.

Raphael, Fiendish Savior steps in as the new commander, supporting the game plan more consistently. He helps stabilize the board, buffs my army, and sets the stage for the Balrog’s arrival. I run several cards that can fetch him straight from the deck—Blood Speaker, Demonlord Belzenlok, Rune-Scarred Demon, Icon of Ancestry, Ob Nixilis, the Hate-Twisted, and others—so even as a lurking horror, he’s never too far away.

I also added more damage-dealing spells for better control and direct pressure on opponents. Beyond classics like Devil's Play, Terminate, and Dreadbore, I’ve added Hell to Pay and Rakdos's Return to punish hands and boards alike. On top of that, I doubled down on devil token synergy and death-triggered burn effects. These little fiends now serve not just as blockers or sac fodder, but as a win condition on their own—especially when paired with Raphael’s lifelink boost. Every dying devil becomes pain for the enemy and healing for me.

I’ve now included four versions of Ob Nixilis — yes, it’s a bit much, but each fills a unique role. This one Ob Nixilis, the Hate-Twisted punishes card draw and bolsters removal. Tibalt, Rakish Instigator is still here too, classic devil support: fueling tokens and preventing opponents from healing the damage my demons and devils dish out. They don’t live long, but if timed right, their impact is massive.

I’ve also added some recursion (Oversold Cemetery) and a spicy alternate wincon in Liliana's Contract.

Some bigger demons were swapped out for stronger synergy or pure flavor—welcome Asmodeus the Archfiend, Balor, Kardur, Doomscourge, and others to the Hellegion.

Sadly, a few cards had to go — Imskir Iron-Eater, Archfiend of Sorrows, some regenerating skeletons, and a handful of artifacts are no longer marching with the legion.

I still have a few cards waiting on the bench—Burn Down the House, Rakdos Keyrune, Doom Whisperer, Overseer of the Damned, Skirsdag High Priest, Spawn of Mayhem, Breath of Malfegor — and I’ll be testing space for them soon.

In the long run, I’d love to add some heavier hitters and staples like Kindred Dominance, Altar of Shadows, Bontu's Monument, Krav, the Unredeemed, Rite of Belzenlok, Demonic TutorGC, Sudden Spoiling, Grave Pact, Dark Prophecy, Attrition, Vilis, Broker of Blood, Razaketh, the Foulblooded, Pestilence Demon, Lord of the Void, Archfiend of Depravity, and especially Karlach, Fury of Avernus.

We’ll see where the Hellegion marches next—and who joins, or falls, along the way.

Hey,

You're right — the deck is still a bit raw and definitely needs some improvements in card draw and mana ramp. Thanks a lot for the suggestions! I actually had some of these cards on my acquireboard already. I’ve now added Moldervine Reclamation and Sol Ring, and took out Serrated Scorpion and Chainweb Aracnir.

I also swapped Gloomwidow for Hoarding Recluse.

I’m waiting to see if Curse of Clinging Webs and Swarmyard become available in my local shop — if they do, I’ll definitely include them :)

Also, I'm still considering a few more cards for the deck, like Back for More, Archdruid's Charm, Obscuring Haze, Fog, Deathsprout, Tear Asunder, Terrifying Presence, You Look Upon the Tarrasque, Revitalizing Repast  ^Flip, Heroic Intervention, Vraska, the Silencer, Graveshifter, Juvenile Gloomwidow, Greta, Sweettooth Scourge, Broodspinner, Graverobber Spider, Nyx Weaver, Spinner of Souls, Worldly TutorGC, Doubling Season, Parallel Lives, Triumph of the Hordes, Rotwidow Pack, Sporeweb Weaver, Realmwalker, and a few others...

I'm still working on this deck. In the few games I've had, it worked and had some massive moments.

Any suggestions are welcome.