For whatever reason, I keep coming back to Derevi as my second commander. However, I have no idea what a strategy built around her would look like. EDHrec.com didn't really help. It looked like an amalgamation of several strategies. What's the general idea to build around her? How many different ways can I build around her?
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there is as many strategies to her as the mind can immagine
she is very generic and has a lot of ways to use her, unfortunatly she has a bit of a stigma around her due to one particular build this is stax version of her that utilizes stasis effects and uses your general to power through it.
What ever you choose, you should try to be focused because its easy to get lost but your deck is much better with focused game plan.
Personally I don't think the midrange strategy is very good with her, I see a lot of "bant goodstuff" versions but I think they really suffer from not having the low cmc evasive creature to hit and then when you untap your lands if your hand is clogged with 6 cmc cards you can cast multiple cards a turn to get the deck snowballing.
I find keeping the cmc of your deck low is really important.
A flying commander that bypasses recast tax, in the colors of ramp + equipment goodstuff is already ideal, but add in control elements and his ability to tap down an opponents attacker just by being cast, makes for some pretty good tempo swings.
Treat him like a voltron rafiq deck. The best part is putting rafiq in the 99, so you can green suns / natural order / cord him out for a wicked final blow. Most people see rafiq and anticipate their potential death-turn, but doing this with Derevi is just unexpected and funny.
A flying commander that bypasses recast tax, in the colors of ramp + equipment goodstuff is already ideal, but add in control elements and his ability to tap down an opponents attacker just by being cast, makes for some pretty good tempo swings.
Treat him like a voltron rafiq deck. The best part is putting rafiq in the 99, so you can green suns / natural order / cord him out for a wicked final blow. Most people see rafiq and anticipate their potential death-turn, but doing this with Derevi is just unexpected and funny.
I built this deck a few months ago and it is a powerhouse. I use card to power derevi with things like Empyrial Plate and Diviner's Wand and obviously keep a full hand of answers to boot. Evasion, avoiding commander tax, and only having to do 21 commander damage is a deadly combination.
I feel like derevi voltron - while strong - ignores derevi's triggers for combat damage from every creature you control.
It doesn't go all in on that like other Derevi decks might, but you still run mana rocks and Bloom Tender, etc... There's also some interesting things you can do with double strike or extra attack phases like Nantuko Mentor or Diviner's Wand and Jace's Apprentice. If you are all about abusing the tap/untap triggers it wouldn't be the way to go. Voltron is more of a niche option, but I think Derevi can be built with about any strategy possible and be good.
These days, some wizards are finding they have a little too much deck left at the end of their $$$.
MTG finance guy- follow me on Twitter@RichArschmann or RichardArschmann on Reddit
Have you heard about our lord and savior, Dankchantress yet? The One True Deck.
In all seriousness, there are several ways to build Derevi. However, one archetype stands head and shoulders above the others: Stax. Derevi's ability has a somewhat unique and utterly broken interaction with winter orb and all its many friends. Combine that with with the best slew of hate bears in the game (with the possible exception of Naya), and you have a recipe for one of the strongest decks in the entire format. Decklist For Reference
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"Instead of building a fast car to win the race, you fill the race track with manure and drive your tractor to victory.
That is stax."
~cmv_lawyer, 2016
As an aside, the alters in that decklist are all terrible. The Caucasian Sisay is pretty messed up, but the human Derevi is bad too. She's a bird, dammit. She's a War Eagle and she perches on my shoulder and pecks at my mana rocks to untap them whenever I give her a cracker.
The Derevi/Winter Orb interaction is one of the least fun things you can do in this format. Whenever you run a table into the ground doing this, a lone tear drips down the rules committee's cheek.
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These days, some wizards are finding they have a little too much deck left at the end of their $$$.
MTG finance guy- follow me on Twitter@RichArschmann or RichardArschmann on Reddit
The best version I can offer currently would be a redesign of my signature link. Swap out some of the niche hate cards, add a few more mana/rocks, and focus more on graveyard combos (add survival of the fittest and boonweaver/pattern combo pieces). The list I have was premull change rule, but the suggested changes should benefit postmull change.
Derevi has tons of build options though, so preference and play group greatly influences the type of build. Mine is tailored to a comp EDH scene with many combo decks.
Originally I was going to do a deck around Rafiq of the Many but people were telling me that Rafiq usually has a big target on his back. So I replaced him with Derevi, Empyrial Tactician.
Card advantage is not the same thing as card draw. Something for 2B cannot be strictly worse than something for BBB or 3BB. If you're taking out Swords to Plowshares for Plummet, you're a fool. Stop doing these things!
Put in whatever else you want
Literally that easy
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check out my EDH and Pauper EDH decks here
she is very generic and has a lot of ways to use her, unfortunatly she has a bit of a stigma around her due to one particular build this is stax version of her that utilizes stasis effects and uses your general to power through it.
Personally I don't think the midrange strategy is very good with her, I see a lot of "bant goodstuff" versions but I think they really suffer from not having the low cmc evasive creature to hit and then when you untap your lands if your hand is clogged with 6 cmc cards you can cast multiple cards a turn to get the deck snowballing.
I find keeping the cmc of your deck low is really important.
Pioneer:UR Pheonix
Modern:U Mono U Tron
EDH
GB Glissa, the traitor: Army of Cans
UW Dragonlord Ojutai: Dragonlord NOjutai
UWGDerevi, Empyrial Tactician "you cannot fight the storm"
R Zirilan of the claw. The solution to every problem is dragons
UB Etrata, the Silencer Cloning assassination
Peasant cube: Cards I own
Nekorin does a good bit of back and forth with me in this thread - but it's great.
http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/commander-edh/multiplayer-commander-decklists/511372-derevi-empyrial-tactician-enchantress-tactics-mtg
A flying commander that bypasses recast tax, in the colors of ramp + equipment goodstuff is already ideal, but add in control elements and his ability to tap down an opponents attacker just by being cast, makes for some pretty good tempo swings.
Treat him like a voltron rafiq deck. The best part is putting rafiq in the 99, so you can green suns / natural order / cord him out for a wicked final blow. Most people see rafiq and anticipate their potential death-turn, but doing this with Derevi is just unexpected and funny.
Links to my most current deck lists;
Primary EDH; Rakka Mar Token Perfection, Crosis Mnemonic Betrayal, Cromat Villainous, Judith Gravestorm, Rakdos Empty Storm, Exava Artifacts, Bant Trash, & Fumiko Voltron!
EDH kept at home; Ruzzian Isset & Rakdos LoR!
EDH (nostalgic/pimp/retired) in storage;
Latulla Burns, Akroma Smash, Jeska Voltron, Rakdos Storm, Bladewing Darghans, Lyzolda Worldgorger, Xantcha Steals your Heart, Jori Storm, Wydwen Permission, Gwendlyn Paradox, Jeleva Warps, & Sigarda Brick!
Legacy Showanimator and High Tide!
I built this deck a few months ago and it is a powerhouse. I use card to power derevi with things like Empyrial Plate and Diviner's Wand and obviously keep a full hand of answers to boot. Evasion, avoiding commander tax, and only having to do 21 commander damage is a deadly combination.
It doesn't go all in on that like other Derevi decks might, but you still run mana rocks and Bloom Tender, etc... There's also some interesting things you can do with double strike or extra attack phases like Nantuko Mentor or Diviner's Wand and Jace's Apprentice. If you are all about abusing the tap/untap triggers it wouldn't be the way to go. Voltron is more of a niche option, but I think Derevi can be built with about any strategy possible and be good.
MTG finance guy- follow me on Twitter@RichArschmann or RichardArschmann on Reddit
In all seriousness, there are several ways to build Derevi. However, one archetype stands head and shoulders above the others: Stax. Derevi's ability has a somewhat unique and utterly broken interaction with winter orb and all its many friends. Combine that with with the best slew of hate bears in the game (with the possible exception of Naya), and you have a recipe for one of the strongest decks in the entire format. Decklist For Reference
That is stax."
~cmv_lawyer, 2016
WUI Don't Mean to Brago, But... RWBI'll Kaalia Back Later GBWKaradora the Graveyard Explorer BRGLive Long and Prosshper
BGUMuscle Plasm URGImperial Animarch BGLemon Meren Pie GWStop Being Such a Sisay UTefearsome RGWMarath of the Titans
UBRNow Watch me Trai Trai RWBAleshstax GWUPrison Can Roon Your Life BRGrenzo: Your Doom UArcum's Asylum of Stax
BGFeel the Ground Croak GThe All New 2016 Yisan Wanderer URFo Rizzle Mah Mizzle UBRA Game of Marchess
The Derevi/Winter Orb interaction is one of the least fun things you can do in this format. Whenever you run a table into the ground doing this, a lone tear drips down the rules committee's cheek.
MTG finance guy- follow me on Twitter@RichArschmann or RichardArschmann on Reddit
Derevi has tons of build options though, so preference and play group greatly influences the type of build. Mine is tailored to a comp EDH scene with many combo decks.
My deck is a bit heavy on the creature side with things like Sublime Archangel, True-Name Nemesis, Knotvine Paladin along with other exalted creatures. I also want to try out things like Vigor, Rite of Passage, Nissa, Voice of Zendikar, Gavony Township, Elspeth, Sun's Champion, and Mirari's Wake to further boost my creatures. Also using things like Cyclonic Rift and Cryptic Command to deal with pesky things that get in the way.
WUGDerevi, Empyrial TacticianWUG
Personally, I like going the Stax route. Things like Tangle Wire, Glare of Subdual, Winter Orb, Grand Arbiter Augustin IV, Meekstone, and throw on cards like Seedborn Muse and Heliod, God of the Sun to make it not hurt you.
On phasing: