I know, I know: Another Captain Sisay list. You’ve seen it all before. That’s great. I’m happy for you.
There doesn’t appear to be an active Sisay thread in the multiplayer forum (although we cannot discredit all of the work Riley did for his list in the 1v1 Thread, as his primer has been the most useful resource over the years), so I thought I’d share my list and generate some discussion about the Captain of the Weatherlight. But first, a history lesson:
Captain Sisay was the captain of the Skyship Weatherlight, whose crew was instrumental in defeating the Phyrexian Invasion spearheaded by Yawgmoth, their deity-king. The Skyship itself was part of the Legacy Weapon, a collection of artifacts that when assembled brought an end to Yawgmoth and saved Dominaria for a while.
Why is this important? To be quite frank: to most, it isn’t. But it is to me. Throughout my EDH/Commander career I have always had a member of the Weatherlight as one of my generals to satisfy the Vorthos in me. First I had Squee, Goblin Nabob, but I gave that deck to my fiancé so she would play Magic with me from time to time. I then built Karn, Silver Golem, but that deck was clunky and super vulnerable. About two years ago I made the switch to Captain Sisay, which was probably the best most I could have made, as it has since become my longest-standing Commander deck.
You should join me in the glory that is Sisay if:
- You enjoy “fair” Magic. There are no combos, and few blow-out cards—this deck is designed to win the long game. Every game feels like a struggle, but it’s a struggle that we come out on top of more often than not. If you have the ingenuity and courage that Sisay brought to the Weatherlight, you will succeed.
- You enjoy flexible strategies. Sisay provides a ton of variance in both build and play style that allow you to adapt to any meta-game or situation within the game.
- You don’t know which general you want to play. Sisay can tutor up a host of Legends to act as a Second in Command at a moment’s notice. Wish you were playing Gaddock Teeg as your General to hose control? Go get him! Sigarda, Host of Herons to provide the beat-down? Go get her! Karametra, God of Harvests to ramp into all things obnoxious? Do it if you’re cool!
However, you should probably skip Sisay if:
- You don’t like to shuffle. Cause you will do that. A lot. And then some more. I’ve taken to tutoring during other people’s turns with the understanding that I activate Sisay “in response to something relevant” in order to save time.
- You want the game to be about you: This deck is usually pretty reactive. It does have its threats (anyone who lets Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite resolve/survive deserves the loss), but more often than not you are playing the role of mid-range/control. You only become a threat after you’ve answered several other threats due to the bodies left behind.
- You like “unfair” Magic. Which usually translates to combo or Magic that is uninteractive. While you can cram combos into Sisay, my build only has one “combo” (Survival of the Fittest -> Iona, Shield of Emeria/Elesh Norn -> Loyal Retainers, but even that leaves plenty of room for interaction. People will be able to deal with what you put down. It’s what comes after they’ve dealt with it that will win you the game.
- You want to break new ground. The appeal of Sisay is in her flexibility, but Sisay has been around for a while, so you won’t exactly be innovating or redefining Magic anytime soon.
All that introduction aside, here’s my current list!
The game-plan goes as follows:
- Early Game (turns 1-5): Establish a basic board presence by hitting lands and playing dorks. If needed, react to something threatening. Your ramp will allow you to go HAM sometimes, but you must resist this urge. You don’t want to paint a target on your head, your annoying creatures will do that for you.
- Mid Game (turns 5-10): Start to shut down your opponents with Teeg, Linvala, or things like Aven Mindcensor. After you play 2-3 of these hatebears your opponents should be able to do next to nothing. If you can make a power-play with Hokori or Iona, go for it. This is probably the strongest part of our game.
- Late Game (turns 10+): This is where our deck starts to weaken, as people can go bigger than us. If the game goes long, try to drag out the mid-game by playing reactionary spells and creatures. Again, if you have 3 or more hatebears in play, you should be able to stop people from doing too much. You can also then slam down Elesh Norn to win outright.
Card Choices (Cards Sorted Alphabetically):
Acidic Slime: Super flexible card that provides all the options and kills a creature on the way out (thanks Deathtouch!)
Ancient Tomb: Moar mana is always good, and a turn 2 Sisay is even better.
Arid Mesa: 1 of 5 Fetch-lands. I would run 7 but I think I already run out of targets thanks to Karametra.
Avacyn's Pilgrim: Mana dork. Pitches to Survival or Mortarpod late game.
Aven Mindcensor: Shuts down opposing tutors, fetches, whatever. Card is never not relevant.
Banishing Light: The only downside of Oblivion Ring is that you can only run one of them. Luckily for us they printed this functional reprint.
Birds of Paradise: Mana dork. Pitches to Survival or Mortarpod late game.
Boreal Druid: Mana dork. Pitches to Survival or Mortarpod late game.
Brimaz, King of Orsekos: This card is everything Sisay wants in a kill condition: cheap, Legendary, brings a party with him… card has yet to let me down.
Command Tower: Second best Dual land. Only downside is I can’t fetch for it.
Council's Judgment: This card is Vindicate in 1v1, but in Multiplayer it can be an X for 1.
Crop Rotation: Get’s Gaea’s Cradle most of the time, but can also protect Sisay and friends via Serjiri Steepe or other protection lands. Also find Thespian’s Stage/Dark Depths.
Cultivate: This card and Kodama’s Reach have saved me from land-screw more times than I can count. Going Dork -> Cultivate/Reach -> Karametra is the rampiest ramp outside of the X-Games.
Dark Depths: Combo’s with Thespian’s Stage to create an Indestructible Flying 20/20 menace. With this and Stage in play, active the Stage targeting Dark Depths, and sacrifice Depths to the Legend Rule. Thespian’s Stage becomes a copy of Depths without counters, so it automatically creates the Merit Lage token for you.
Dryad Arbor: Fetch it, Green Sun it, Karametra it… this land is always awesome always.
Eiganjo Castle: One of the many lands that protects Sisay and her crew.
Eladamri's Call: Instant-speed creature tutor is busted. The extra mana over Worldly Tutor is worth it since this goes to your hand.
Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite : Your primary win-condition. This will deal with a surprising number of creatures (and obliterates token strategies and Elf-Ball if those are in your meta) while also providing one of the best Glorious Anthem effects in the game.
Elvish Mystic: Mana dork. Pitches to Survival or Mortarpod late game.
Enlightened Tutor: Mostly gets Survival of the Fittest, but will also get any of our enchantments or equipment as the situation needs them. But mostly Survival.
Eternal Witness: Graveyard recursion that we can get with Green Sun (or any other creature tutor). This card is an All-Star and goes into EVERY deck running Forest.
Expedition Map: Should be in every Commander deck, but especially ours. Have you seen how many lands we can tutor for? Did you notice the Gaea’s Cradle? Go get Cradle.
Fauna Shaman: A weaker Survival of the Fittest is still better than most cards in Magic’s history. A must deal with threat.
Fiend Hunter: Tutorable removal is always good. Can be pitched to Survival or Mortarpod if the effect isn’t needed.
Flagstones of Trokair: Legendary white mana source. Good against Armageddon effects, but to be honest could get cut for Plains. Will probably become Brushland when I can find one.
Fyndhorn Elves: Mana dork. Pitches to Survival or Mortarpod late game.
Gaddock Teeg: This is the best card in your deck. Period. Tutor for him early and often and watch people’s faces drop when you remind them that they can’t play their Wrath of God’s or their Tooth and Nail’s. The only cards we can’t cast with Teeg in play is Green Sun’s Zenith (which finds Teeg) and Garruk Wildspeaker (which is just a bomb and totes worth imo).
Gaea's Cradle: Tutor for Cradle. Win the game. How this didn’t get banned when Tolarian Academy did is beyond me, but so long as the Rules Committee doesn’t see a problem with it, I will keep slamming this bad boy down as often as I can search my library for anything. If budget is a concern you could probably get by with Nykthos, but you should skip McDonald’s about 20 times and put the money aside so you can afford this beauty and make all of your wildest dreams come true.
Garruk Wildspeaker: This card untaps Cradle, which isn’t an effect we’re begging for but are happy to have. Especially when it also produces creatures for Cradle and creates a game-winning effect really easy. Could be Craterhoof Behemoth if you’re running a rampier deck.
Green Sun's Zenith: Probably my favorite card in Magic. Gets so many things and comes back for seconds more often than you’d expect.
Hall of the Bandit Lord: You know how to make Sisay better? Give her haste. Worth 3 life every time. Being able to tap Sisay the turn she comes down is the difference between a win and a loss sometimes.
Hero of Bladehold: This card is INSANE and must be dealt with ASAP or you will win the game. Plays very nicely with Elesh Norn. Brimaz probably should have replaced this but two cards with this amount of insanity are better than one.
Hokori, Dust-Drinker: The bane of ramp’s existence. You can easily win by tapping to find Hokori and slamming it down while your opponent’s lands are tapped. You have access to Cradle and a whole host of Mana dorks, which makes this a decidedly one-sided effect. Whenever I think about cutting it I end up tutoring it for the win, so it’s probably safe forever.
Horizon Canopy: Dual land that also draws a card in a pinch. Busted effect is busted.
Hushwing Gryff: So much of Commander relies on ETB triggers. This says “NO” while only shutting off a handful of our own cards. If you’re desperate to play your Stoneforge Mystic, go ahead and sac the Gryff to Mortarpod or Skullclamp.
Idyllic Tutor: Gets Survival of the Fittest and sometimes and Oblivion Ring. As limited as it is in my build, I win when I stick Survival so any way I can get that card is good enough in my book.
Iona, Shield of Emeria: The best hoser in the game. Shut off multiple opponents (or just the one with Tooth and Nail or removal) while swinging with a 7/7 flier. Secondary kill-condition when Elesh Norn gets dealt with. If you’re going the Loyal Retainers route early might be better than Elesh Norn, but that depends on the game state at the moment.
Joraga Treespeaker: Mana dork. Pitches to Survival or Mortarpod late game.
Karametra, God of Harvests: Probably the best ramp card in the game that’s not named Lotus Cobra or Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary. This God is good because it encourages you to play more creatures (which activates her as a creature) and gives you the tools to keep doing so in the process. Awesome card.
Knight of the Reliquary: Tutors for lands that win the game or protect Sisay. Our lands are super important, and this is one of the best ways to get them out.
Kodama's Reach: This card Cultivate have saved me from land-screw more times than I can count. Going Dork -> Cultivate/Reach -> Karametra is the rampiest ramp outside of the handicap entrance at the mall.
Lightning Greaves: We already talked about how good a hastey Sisay is. How about we also protect her from harm? Good? Good.
Linvala, Keeper of Silence: Similar to Teeg in that it completely invalidates so many cards in Magic that it’s not really funny for anyone but the caster, which in this case is us. Also has a relevant flying body which wins the game on its own sometimes.
Llanowar Elves: Mana dork. Pitches to Survival or Mortarpod late game.
Lotus Cobra: I’m honestly never super impressed by this card, but it’s still really good ramp. Will also eat a removal spell on the spot which means it’s safer to cast Sisay.
Loyal Retainers: I’m SO glad this gem got reprinted, making it an affordable(ish) option for most people (down from $150 to $30. $30! I’ve paid more for dinner, and this has given me way more fun than a dinner). A turn two Survial pitching whatever for Elesh Norn or Iona, pitching that fatty to get this is usually good game. If not good game buys you enough time to get a head enough to end the game shortly thereafter.
Mana Confluence: Dual land. Mana Tithe: Surprise! People tap out all the time for silly stuff. I tried to get my brother to cut Force Spike in his Azami, Lady of Scrolls deck for years, but every time he casts it he gets what he wants. This effect in non-blue is probably too good to be true.
Marsh Flats: 1 of 5 Fetch-lands. I would run 7 but I think I already run out of targets thanks to Karametra.
Misty Rainforest: 1 of 5 Fetch-lands. I would run 7 but I think I already run out of targets thanks to Karametra.
Mortarpod: Constant removal is nice, especially when it’s tutorable with Stoneforge Mystic and Enlightened Tutor.
Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx: A budget Gaea’s Cradle, but still great in its own right. We’re a permanent heavy deck, so we can get a lot of use out of this. Unlike Cradle, it still taps for mana on an empty board, which is nice.
Oblivion Ring: Want to get rid of anything? Want to tutor for it? You got it. God bless America. Or Wizards. Or something.
Path to Exile: Second best removal spell in the game, in my opinion.
Qasali Pridemage: This card was a mistake. They took Viridian Zealot, made his ability cost one less, gave him an extra toughness, and just because someone was drunk they thought “let’s add Exalted! That’s a thing we can do, right?” Not that it matters much to us, but they also REDUCED his rarity. Great job, guys.
Scavenging Ooze: Graveyard hate we can find with Green Sun/other creature tutors that turns into a threat in their own right. Awesome card is awesome.
Selesnya Charm: Nothing says flexible like the charms. Need a body? Check. Want to deal with a fatty? Check. Want to pump a dude for a sweet combat trick? Check. I’ve used all three modes to great success and will continue to do so forever.
Selvala, Explorer Returned: This card is hard to evaluate, but it provides a ton of advantages. A great way to ramp, and also gains you life (you’ll need it) and draws a card (you’ll need it). It provides benefit to the opponents, which is lame, but it provides more for us, which is great.
Serjiri Steepe: One of the many lands that protects Sisay and her crew.
Sigarda, Host of Herons: This creature is insane. A 5/5 flier that can’t be touched and turns off sac effects (relevant in Eldrazi metas) is every way I want to win the game.
Skullclamp: One of our only draw spells just happens to be the best draw spell. Turn those mana dorks into something useful late game.
Stirring Wildwood: A dual land that also turns into a beater in a pinch. It’s like Christmas in a land.
Stoneforge Mystic: Gets so many relevant effects. They had to ban this in Standard for a reason, and that reason is you should be playing it in Commander instead.
Sun Titan: Oh, the advantage. The only titan that surpasses this is Primeval Titan, which is banned (Thank the forces greater than luck!)
Thespian's Stage: Combo’s with Dark Depths to create an Indestructible Flying 20/20 menace. With this and Depths in play, active the Stage targeting Dark Depths, and sacrifice Depths to the Legend Rule. Thespian’s Stage becomes a copy of Depths without counters, so it automatically creates the Merit Lage token for you.
Umezawa's Jitte: The best equipment just so happens to be Legendary. This card is a reason to get out of bed in the morning.
Verdant Catacombs: 1 of 5 Fetch-lands. I would run 7 but I think I already run out of targets thanks to Karametra.
Wasteland: Run this over Strip Mine mostly because I want to show off my Wasteland, and there isn’t really room for both.
Windswept Heath: 1 of 5 Fetch-lands. I would run 7 but I think I already run out of targets thanks to Karametra.
Made a couple quality of life changes to the mana-base:
Out: Dark Depths: I took out the Dark Depths combo as it wasn't ever a primary way to victory, and more importantly I needed the cards for my Xira Arien Aggro-Loam/Lands deck (I'll be posting that list sooner or later) Thespian's Stage Flagstones of Trokair: No sacs to activate as mana fixing, and no need to tutor for white without a relevant ability. Temple of Plenty: Enters the Battlefield Tapped is brutal, so I'm trying to trim those lands down.
In: Brushland: Better fixing than Temple of Plenty. Gavony Township: Excellent utility/win-con in a land. Better overall synergy with the deck, despite not being legendary. Forest: For better Karametra longevity. Plains: Same.
Played a game with the deck at my LGS and got hated out. 7-Player game (I don't usually like games with more than 4 players, but I had nothing to do that night so I said "why not?"). I went turn 2 Sylvan Library, which netted a Kodama's Reach, so I played it turn 3. Turn 4 I got a Survival of the Fittest, so I slammed that down. I had an open board so I took a couple of hits from a Slivers deck. I tried to keep the game going by searching for Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite and Loyal Retainers, but that was apparently going too hard for the group. I took another 16 points of damage, bringing me down to 7, and then a Bogardan Hellkite pumped knocked me out.
There doesn’t appear to be an active Sisay thread in the multiplayer forum (although we cannot discredit all of the work Riley did for his list in the 1v1 Thread, as his primer has been the most useful resource over the years), so I thought I’d share my list and generate some discussion about the Captain of the Weatherlight. But first, a history lesson:
Captain Sisay was the captain of the Skyship Weatherlight, whose crew was instrumental in defeating the Phyrexian Invasion spearheaded by Yawgmoth, their deity-king. The Skyship itself was part of the Legacy Weapon, a collection of artifacts that when assembled brought an end to Yawgmoth and saved Dominaria for a while.
Why is this important? To be quite frank: to most, it isn’t. But it is to me. Throughout my EDH/Commander career I have always had a member of the Weatherlight as one of my generals to satisfy the Vorthos in me. First I had Squee, Goblin Nabob, but I gave that deck to my fiancé so she would play Magic with me from time to time. I then built Karn, Silver Golem, but that deck was clunky and super vulnerable. About two years ago I made the switch to Captain Sisay, which was probably the best most I could have made, as it has since become my longest-standing Commander deck.
You should join me in the glory that is Sisay if:
- You enjoy “fair” Magic. There are no combos, and few blow-out cards—this deck is designed to win the long game. Every game feels like a struggle, but it’s a struggle that we come out on top of more often than not. If you have the ingenuity and courage that Sisay brought to the Weatherlight, you will succeed.
- You enjoy flexible strategies. Sisay provides a ton of variance in both build and play style that allow you to adapt to any meta-game or situation within the game.
- You don’t know which general you want to play. Sisay can tutor up a host of Legends to act as a Second in Command at a moment’s notice. Wish you were playing Gaddock Teeg as your General to hose control? Go get him! Sigarda, Host of Herons to provide the beat-down? Go get her! Karametra, God of Harvests to ramp into all things obnoxious? Do it if you’re cool!
However, you should probably skip Sisay if:
- You don’t like to shuffle. Cause you will do that. A lot. And then some more. I’ve taken to tutoring during other people’s turns with the understanding that I activate Sisay “in response to something relevant” in order to save time.
- You want the game to be about you: This deck is usually pretty reactive. It does have its threats (anyone who lets Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite resolve/survive deserves the loss), but more often than not you are playing the role of mid-range/control. You only become a threat after you’ve answered several other threats due to the bodies left behind.
- You like “unfair” Magic. Which usually translates to combo or Magic that is uninteractive. While you can cram combos into Sisay, my build only has one “combo” (Survival of the Fittest -> Iona, Shield of Emeria/Elesh Norn -> Loyal Retainers, but even that leaves plenty of room for interaction. People will be able to deal with what you put down. It’s what comes after they’ve dealt with it that will win you the game.
- You want to break new ground. The appeal of Sisay is in her flexibility, but Sisay has been around for a while, so you won’t exactly be innovating or redefining Magic anytime soon.
All that introduction aside, here’s my current list!
1 Boreal Druid
1 Llanowar Elves
1 Fyndhorn Elves
1 Elvish Mystic
1 Avacyn's Pilgrim
1 Joraga Treespeaker
1 Birds of Paradise
1 Mother of Runes
1 Sylvan Safekeeper
1 Lotus Cobra
1 Gaddock Teeg ()
1 Saffi Eriksdotter ()
1 Fauna Shaman
1 Stoneforge Mystic
1 Qasali Pridemage
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Selvala, Explorer Returned ()
1 Brimaz, King of Orsekos ()
1 Eternal Witness
1 Loyal Retainers
1 Aven Mindcensor
1 Hushwing Gryff
1 Knight of the Reliquary
1 Reclamation Sage
1 Fiend Hunter
1 Hokori, Dust-Drinker ()
1 Linvala, Keeper of Silence ()
1 Restoration Angel
1 Hero of Bladehold
1 Sigarda, Host of Herons ()
1 Karametra, God of Harvests ()
1 Reveillark
1 Acidic Slime
1 Sun Titan
1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite ()
1 Iona, Shield of Emeria ()
1 Skullclamp
1 Sol Ring
1 Expedition Map
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Mortarpod
1 Umezawa's Jitte ()
1 Sylvan Library
1 Survival of the Fittest
1 Oblivion Ring
1 Banishing Light
1 Garruk Wildspeaker
1 Cultivate
1 Kodama's Reach
1 Idyllic Tutor
1 Council's Judgment
1 Green Sun's Zenith
1 Mana Tithe
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Worldly Tutor
1 Crop Rotation
1 Path to Exile
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Selesnya Charm
1 Eladamri's Call
1 Beast Within
5 Forest
4 Plains
1 Dryad Arbor
1 Gaea's Cradle ()
1 Serjiri Steepe
1 Eiganjo Castle ()
1 Brushland
1 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx ()
1 Horizon Canopy
1 Temple Garden
1 Savannah
1 Gavony Township
1 Razorverge Thicket
1 Sunpetal Grove
1 Wooded Bastion
1 Command Tower
1 Reflecting Pool
1 City of Brass
1 Mana Confluence
1 Stirring Wildwood
1 Windswept Heath
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Marsh Flats
1 Arid Mesa
1 Cavern of Souls
1 Yavimaya Hollow ()
1 Wasteland
1 Ancient Tomb
1 Hall of the Bandit Lord ()
() = Legendary (tutorable with Sisay)
The game-plan goes as follows:
- Early Game (turns 1-5): Establish a basic board presence by hitting lands and playing dorks. If needed, react to something threatening. Your ramp will allow you to go HAM sometimes, but you must resist this urge. You don’t want to paint a target on your head, your annoying creatures will do that for you.
- Mid Game (turns 5-10): Start to shut down your opponents with Teeg, Linvala, or things like Aven Mindcensor. After you play 2-3 of these hatebears your opponents should be able to do next to nothing. If you can make a power-play with Hokori or Iona, go for it. This is probably the strongest part of our game.
- Late Game (turns 10+): This is where our deck starts to weaken, as people can go bigger than us. If the game goes long, try to drag out the mid-game by playing reactionary spells and creatures. Again, if you have 3 or more hatebears in play, you should be able to stop people from doing too much. You can also then slam down Elesh Norn to win outright.
Card Choices (Cards Sorted Alphabetically):
Acidic Slime: Super flexible card that provides all the options and kills a creature on the way out (thanks Deathtouch!)
Ancient Tomb: Moar mana is always good, and a turn 2 Sisay is even better.
Arid Mesa: 1 of 5 Fetch-lands. I would run 7 but I think I already run out of targets thanks to Karametra.
Avacyn's Pilgrim: Mana dork. Pitches to Survival or Mortarpod late game.
Aven Mindcensor: Shuts down opposing tutors, fetches, whatever. Card is never not relevant.
Banishing Light: The only downside of Oblivion Ring is that you can only run one of them. Luckily for us they printed this functional reprint.
Beast Within: Instant speed Vindicate with a minimal drawback.
Birds of Paradise: Mana dork. Pitches to Survival or Mortarpod late game.
Boreal Druid: Mana dork. Pitches to Survival or Mortarpod late game.
Brimaz, King of Orsekos: This card is everything Sisay wants in a kill condition: cheap, Legendary, brings a party with him… card has yet to let me down.
Captain Sisay: El Generalisimo.
Cavern of Souls: Names Human most of the time, which gets a large number of targets. The bane of blue should go in every deck.
City of Brass: Dual land.
Command Tower: Second best Dual land. Only downside is I can’t fetch for it.
Council's Judgment: This card is Vindicate in 1v1, but in Multiplayer it can be an X for 1.
Crop Rotation: Get’s Gaea’s Cradle most of the time, but can also protect Sisay and friends via Serjiri Steepe or other protection lands. Also find Thespian’s Stage/Dark Depths.
Cultivate: This card and Kodama’s Reach have saved me from land-screw more times than I can count. Going Dork -> Cultivate/Reach -> Karametra is the rampiest ramp outside of the X-Games.
Dark Depths: Combo’s with Thespian’s Stage to create an Indestructible Flying 20/20 menace. With this and Stage in play, active the Stage targeting Dark Depths, and sacrifice Depths to the Legend Rule. Thespian’s Stage becomes a copy of Depths without counters, so it automatically creates the Merit Lage token for you.
Dryad Arbor: Fetch it, Green Sun it, Karametra it… this land is always awesome always.
Eiganjo Castle: One of the many lands that protects Sisay and her crew.
Eladamri's Call: Instant-speed creature tutor is busted. The extra mana over Worldly Tutor is worth it since this goes to your hand.
Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite : Your primary win-condition. This will deal with a surprising number of creatures (and obliterates token strategies and Elf-Ball if those are in your meta) while also providing one of the best Glorious Anthem effects in the game.
Elvish Mystic: Mana dork. Pitches to Survival or Mortarpod late game.
Enlightened Tutor: Mostly gets Survival of the Fittest, but will also get any of our enchantments or equipment as the situation needs them. But mostly Survival.
Eternal Witness: Graveyard recursion that we can get with Green Sun (or any other creature tutor). This card is an All-Star and goes into EVERY deck running Forest.
Expedition Map: Should be in every Commander deck, but especially ours. Have you seen how many lands we can tutor for? Did you notice the Gaea’s Cradle? Go get Cradle.
Fauna Shaman: A weaker Survival of the Fittest is still better than most cards in Magic’s history. A must deal with threat.
Fiend Hunter: Tutorable removal is always good. Can be pitched to Survival or Mortarpod if the effect isn’t needed.
Flagstones of Trokair: Legendary white mana source. Good against Armageddon effects, but to be honest could get cut for Plains. Will probably become Brushland when I can find one.
Fyndhorn Elves: Mana dork. Pitches to Survival or Mortarpod late game.
Gaddock Teeg: This is the best card in your deck. Period. Tutor for him early and often and watch people’s faces drop when you remind them that they can’t play their Wrath of God’s or their Tooth and Nail’s. The only cards we can’t cast with Teeg in play is Green Sun’s Zenith (which finds Teeg) and Garruk Wildspeaker (which is just a bomb and totes worth imo).
Gaea's Cradle: Tutor for Cradle. Win the game. How this didn’t get banned when Tolarian Academy did is beyond me, but so long as the Rules Committee doesn’t see a problem with it, I will keep slamming this bad boy down as often as I can search my library for anything. If budget is a concern you could probably get by with Nykthos, but you should skip McDonald’s about 20 times and put the money aside so you can afford this beauty and make all of your wildest dreams come true.
Garruk Wildspeaker: This card untaps Cradle, which isn’t an effect we’re begging for but are happy to have. Especially when it also produces creatures for Cradle and creates a game-winning effect really easy. Could be Craterhoof Behemoth if you’re running a rampier deck.
Green Sun's Zenith: Probably my favorite card in Magic. Gets so many things and comes back for seconds more often than you’d expect.
Hall of the Bandit Lord: You know how to make Sisay better? Give her haste. Worth 3 life every time. Being able to tap Sisay the turn she comes down is the difference between a win and a loss sometimes.
Hero of Bladehold: This card is INSANE and must be dealt with ASAP or you will win the game. Plays very nicely with Elesh Norn. Brimaz probably should have replaced this but two cards with this amount of insanity are better than one.
Hokori, Dust-Drinker: The bane of ramp’s existence. You can easily win by tapping to find Hokori and slamming it down while your opponent’s lands are tapped. You have access to Cradle and a whole host of Mana dorks, which makes this a decidedly one-sided effect. Whenever I think about cutting it I end up tutoring it for the win, so it’s probably safe forever.
Horizon Canopy: Dual land that also draws a card in a pinch. Busted effect is busted.
Hushwing Gryff: So much of Commander relies on ETB triggers. This says “NO” while only shutting off a handful of our own cards. If you’re desperate to play your Stoneforge Mystic, go ahead and sac the Gryff to Mortarpod or Skullclamp.
Idyllic Tutor: Gets Survival of the Fittest and sometimes and Oblivion Ring. As limited as it is in my build, I win when I stick Survival so any way I can get that card is good enough in my book.
Iona, Shield of Emeria: The best hoser in the game. Shut off multiple opponents (or just the one with Tooth and Nail or removal) while swinging with a 7/7 flier. Secondary kill-condition when Elesh Norn gets dealt with. If you’re going the Loyal Retainers route early might be better than Elesh Norn, but that depends on the game state at the moment.
Joraga Treespeaker: Mana dork. Pitches to Survival or Mortarpod late game.
Karametra, God of Harvests: Probably the best ramp card in the game that’s not named Lotus Cobra or Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary. This God is good because it encourages you to play more creatures (which activates her as a creature) and gives you the tools to keep doing so in the process. Awesome card.
Knight of the Reliquary: Tutors for lands that win the game or protect Sisay. Our lands are super important, and this is one of the best ways to get them out.
Kodama's Reach: This card Cultivate have saved me from land-screw more times than I can count. Going Dork -> Cultivate/Reach -> Karametra is the rampiest ramp outside of the handicap entrance at the mall.
Lightning Greaves: We already talked about how good a hastey Sisay is. How about we also protect her from harm? Good? Good.
Linvala, Keeper of Silence: Similar to Teeg in that it completely invalidates so many cards in Magic that it’s not really funny for anyone but the caster, which in this case is us. Also has a relevant flying body which wins the game on its own sometimes.
Llanowar Elves: Mana dork. Pitches to Survival or Mortarpod late game.
Lotus Cobra: I’m honestly never super impressed by this card, but it’s still really good ramp. Will also eat a removal spell on the spot which means it’s safer to cast Sisay.
Loyal Retainers: I’m SO glad this gem got reprinted, making it an affordable(ish) option for most people (down from $150 to $30. $30! I’ve paid more for dinner, and this has given me way more fun than a dinner). A turn two Survial pitching whatever for Elesh Norn or Iona, pitching that fatty to get this is usually good game. If not good game buys you enough time to get a head enough to end the game shortly thereafter.
Mana Confluence: Dual land.
Mana Tithe: Surprise! People tap out all the time for silly stuff. I tried to get my brother to cut Force Spike in his Azami, Lady of Scrolls deck for years, but every time he casts it he gets what he wants. This effect in non-blue is probably too good to be true.
Marsh Flats: 1 of 5 Fetch-lands. I would run 7 but I think I already run out of targets thanks to Karametra.
Misty Rainforest: 1 of 5 Fetch-lands. I would run 7 but I think I already run out of targets thanks to Karametra.
Mortarpod: Constant removal is nice, especially when it’s tutorable with Stoneforge Mystic and Enlightened Tutor.
Mother of Runes: The best way to protect Sisay and friends
Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx: A budget Gaea’s Cradle, but still great in its own right. We’re a permanent heavy deck, so we can get a lot of use out of this. Unlike Cradle, it still taps for mana on an empty board, which is nice.
Oblivion Ring: Want to get rid of anything? Want to tutor for it? You got it. God bless America. Or Wizards. Or something.
Path to Exile: Second best removal spell in the game, in my opinion.
Qasali Pridemage: This card was a mistake. They took Viridian Zealot, made his ability cost one less, gave him an extra toughness, and just because someone was drunk they thought “let’s add Exalted! That’s a thing we can do, right?” Not that it matters much to us, but they also REDUCED his rarity. Great job, guys.
Razorverge Thicket: Dual land.
Reclamation Sage: We need another ETB way to removal Artifacts and Enchantments. This is the best one not-named Acidic Slime.
Reflecting Pool: Dual land.
Restoration Angel: Protects Sisay while providing a relevant body on a flier.
Reveillark: One of the only ways we can get actual Card Advantage besides Sisay. This card is our protection from Wrath of God effects.
Saffi Eriksdotter: Sisay can tutor for her own protection, like a boss. Shenanigans with Sun Titan.
Savannah: The best dual land. No questions.
Scavenging Ooze: Graveyard hate we can find with Green Sun/other creature tutors that turns into a threat in their own right. Awesome card is awesome.
Selesnya Charm: Nothing says flexible like the charms. Need a body? Check. Want to deal with a fatty? Check. Want to pump a dude for a sweet combat trick? Check. I’ve used all three modes to great success and will continue to do so forever.
Selvala, Explorer Returned: This card is hard to evaluate, but it provides a ton of advantages. A great way to ramp, and also gains you life (you’ll need it) and draws a card (you’ll need it). It provides benefit to the opponents, which is lame, but it provides more for us, which is great.
Sensei's Divining Top: Play this card if you own it. Why wouldn’t you?
Serjiri Steepe: One of the many lands that protects Sisay and her crew.
Sigarda, Host of Herons: This creature is insane. A 5/5 flier that can’t be touched and turns off sac effects (relevant in Eldrazi metas) is every way I want to win the game.
Skullclamp: One of our only draw spells just happens to be the best draw spell. Turn those mana dorks into something useful late game.
Sol Ring: Sol Ring.
Stirring Wildwood: A dual land that also turns into a beater in a pinch. It’s like Christmas in a land.
Stoneforge Mystic: Gets so many relevant effects. They had to ban this in Standard for a reason, and that reason is you should be playing it in Commander instead.
Sun Titan: Oh, the advantage. The only titan that surpasses this is Primeval Titan, which is banned (Thank the forces greater than luck!)
Sunpetal Grove: Dual land.
Survival of the Fittest: The best card in the deck. Sets up all the bonkers. If you don’t believe me, ask the Legacy Banned List.
Swords to Plowshares: The actual best removal spell in Magic.
Sylvan Library: Card selection that sometimes turns into card advantage with little investment is nothing short of splendid.
Sylvan Safekeeper: Another great way to protect Sisay.
Temple Garden: Dual land.
Temple of Plenty: Dual land
Thespian's Stage: Combo’s with Dark Depths to create an Indestructible Flying 20/20 menace. With this and Depths in play, active the Stage targeting Dark Depths, and sacrifice Depths to the Legend Rule. Thespian’s Stage becomes a copy of Depths without counters, so it automatically creates the Merit Lage token for you.
Umezawa's Jitte: The best equipment just so happens to be Legendary. This card is a reason to get out of bed in the morning.
Verdant Catacombs: 1 of 5 Fetch-lands. I would run 7 but I think I already run out of targets thanks to Karametra.
Wasteland: Run this over Strip Mine mostly because I want to show off my Wasteland, and there isn’t really room for both.
Windswept Heath: 1 of 5 Fetch-lands. I would run 7 but I think I already run out of targets thanks to Karametra.
Wooded Bastion: Dual land.
Worldly Tutor: Tutors for creatures at instant speed, albeit with a hefty drawback. Still really powerful.
Yavimaya Hollow: One of the many lands that protects Sisay and her crew.
3 Plains: Cause you know, basics.
4 Forest: Again with the basics.
The So-Close!
These cards I would run if I owned them, but I do not:
1 Gavony Township
1 Flooded Strand (maybe? See other fetch-land descriptions)
1 Wooded Foothills (maybe?)
These cards I carry around in a box so that I can deploy them at a moment’s notice
1 Phyrexian Revoker
1 Dauntless Escort
1 Imposing Sovereign
1 Sylvan Scrying
1 Craterhoof Behemoth
1 Hornet Queen
1 Deranged Hermit
1 Harmonic Sliver
1 Pendelhaven
1 Strip Mine
1 Lignify
1 Journey to Nowhere
1 Loxodon Smiter
1 Trostani, Selesnya's Voice
1 Dosan the Falling Leaf
1 Condemn
1 Wrath of God
1 Day of Judgment
1 Benevolent Bodyguard
1 Terrastadon
1 Regal Force
1 Natural Order
1 Chord of Calling
1 Primeval Titan (legal in Duel Commander)
1 Fierce Empath
1v1 (French/Duel Commander) Changes)
We lose the following cards:
1 Ancient Tomb
1 Loyal Retainers
1 Sensei's Divining Top
So I would replace them with this:
1 Forest (or Plains)
1 Fierce Empath
1 Craterhoof Behemoth
Thanks for reading!
BRRakdos, Lord of RiotsBR
BRRakdos, Lord of RiotsBR
Out:
Dark Depths: I took out the Dark Depths combo as it wasn't ever a primary way to victory, and more importantly I needed the cards for my Xira Arien Aggro-Loam/Lands deck (I'll be posting that list sooner or later)
Thespian's Stage
Flagstones of Trokair: No sacs to activate as mana fixing, and no need to tutor for white without a relevant ability.
Temple of Plenty: Enters the Battlefield Tapped is brutal, so I'm trying to trim those lands down.
In:
Brushland: Better fixing than Temple of Plenty.
Gavony Township: Excellent utility/win-con in a land. Better overall synergy with the deck, despite not being legendary.
Forest: For better Karametra longevity.
Plains: Same.
Played a game with the deck at my LGS and got hated out. 7-Player game (I don't usually like games with more than 4 players, but I had nothing to do that night so I said "why not?"). I went turn 2 Sylvan Library, which netted a Kodama's Reach, so I played it turn 3. Turn 4 I got a Survival of the Fittest, so I slammed that down. I had an open board so I took a couple of hits from a Slivers deck. I tried to keep the game going by searching for Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite and Loyal Retainers, but that was apparently going too hard for the group. I took another 16 points of damage, bringing me down to 7, and then a Bogardan Hellkite pumped knocked me out.
Better luck next time, I guess.
BRRakdos, Lord of RiotsBR