MTG Salvation

Captain Sisay, Legend among Legends. A true general, Sisay doesn't move herself carelessly onto the battlefield and slum it up with the rank and file. No, no. She watches from a distance formulates a plan of attack and when the time is right she enters the fray free from danger. The respect she commands among her peers is so great that they wait to be called upon, eager to battle to the death on her behalf. Why? Because she is The leader among leaders. The Legend of all Legends.

Welcome to my duel commander Captain Sisay thread! Sisay is a great and powerful toolbox style general who, if left unchecked , can generate insurmountable virtual card advantage and assemble a nearly unbeatable board state in just a few turns. First and foremost, I play this deck almost entirely on MTGO and as such will reflect their banned list (as bad as it may be, see: sol ring). I am competitive and enjoy winning however there are certain legit styles/playable cards for this deck that are omitted simply because I don’t enjoy winning with them (example: Mindslaver, Hokori, Dust Drinker). I will attempt to regularly update this thread with changes made to the deck as it evolves.

At some point I plan on including possible swap strategies for multiplayer, french banned list, and even 3drinks MTGO duel commander league (which has its own list of banned cards and generals).

You will note a variety of anti-blue cards (Grand Abolisher, Savage Summoning, Cavern of Souls and every available means to fetch it and regrow it). Unfortunately these are a necessary evil since MTGO is ripe with obnoxious and oppressive blue based decks that look to counter/bounce everything.

So how does the deck play out? A simplified version of play may look similar to this progression:

1. Establish enough mana/ramp to cast step 2 spells. Consider mulliganing aggressively into a 3+ mana hand. Don’t hesitate to use Green Sun’s Zenith to ramp into BoP or Bloom Tender.

2. Cast protection spells for Sisay (Sylvan Safekeeper, Mother of Runes, Lightning Greaves, etc). Don’t hesitate to use Green Sun’s Zenith, Eladamri’s Call, Steelshaper’s Gift, Stoneforge Mystic , etc to establish this.

3. If playing vs blue: obtain anti-counter tech for Sisay (Cavern of Souls, Grand Abolisher, Savage Summoning, etc) or; wait for a tap out or; build enough mana to bait a counter with something relevant then drop Sisay. Once Sisay hits the board with protection in place you are in a good position vs blue based decks.

4. With the above steps in place, summon Captain Sisay.

5. Tutor up Gaddock Teeg to prevent mass removal effects from cheating you out of all your hard work thus far and other 4+cc spells that would ruin your day. Consider using previously established protection spells on Teeg instead of Sisay (depending on board state and opponents general/deck).

6. Tutor and play Gaea’s Cradle (see also Rofellos, Nykthos Shrine to Nyx) to build quick mana for steps 7-9.

7. Tutor and play Elesh Norn, easily skipped if the board state doesn’t demand it.

8. Tutor and play Avacyn/Iona.

9. Commence with a Legendary and righteous offensive strategy. Use Sisay to tutor up utility legends as needed depending on board state. The game should end quickly and decisively in your favor if you have reached this step.

Here's the deck as it stands now in MTGO duel commander format:



Multiplayer Swaps

Quote from Leroy

Sol Ring and Loyal Retainers are banned in Duel Commander.

There's always one. If you read my post you'd know that this deck is played on MTGO where those cards are not banned.

Duel Commander list =/= Commander list

Just change your title because its misleading


And why's there no Survival of the Fittest?

Quote from Acardus

Duel Commander list =/= Commander list

Just change your title because its misleading


And why's there no Survival of the Fittest?

Good question. I need to get a copy on MTGO.

Updated list to include Survival of the Fittest.

Finding out that Toxic Deluge is a terrible, terrible card for us. My only answer is Iona and that isn't a very good one. Interested in any solutions/ideas.

A few updates added, more to come.

Interesting list. There are no answers to toxic deluge. Best case scenario you can use something like whisperwood elemental or second sunrise/faith's reward (very specific). You should update your list, you have double kamahl and double saffi listed for some reason, and you should consider Dragonlord Dromoka. Also Thalia, Guardian of Thraben.