So I got the Adaptive Enchantment deck and noticed Kestia, the Cultivator in there. Whats a good way to build around her? I'm mostly a returning player and my last set was Journey into Nyx so I have the enchantment mattes stuff from those sets.
A bit different direction can be generating a lot of small tokens and generating value with Enchanted Evening. If you will be sure that your creatures will be small you can use Tetsuko Umezawa, Fugitive to make sure they will go through and double on draw with Edric, Spymaster of Trest. But this strategy hinges a lot on a few irreplaceable pieces so it will be harder to pull off.
Personally I always like to include as plan B some compact combo which pieces overlap with the rest of the deck, in that case this could be for example Sun Titan + Angelic Renewal + Altar of Dementia / Blasting Station. Sun Titan and Angelic Renewal provide recursion and protection on their own. Altar of Dementia and Blasting Station provide protection against Control Magic effects and when combined they give you win on the spot in most circumstances (note that if you will go really heavy on recursion you can mill yourself with Altar for more value). Bant colors provide multiple possibilities of recurring those pieces so you don't need to hesitate using them for value early game and still have possibility of going off later.
A bit different direction can be generating a lot of small tokens and generating value with Enchanted Evening. If you will be sure that your creatures will be small you can use Tetsuko Umezawa, Fugitive to make sure they will go through and double on draw with Edric, Spymaster of Trest. But this strategy hinges a lot on a few irreplaceable pieces so it will be harder to pull off.
Personally I always like to include as plan B some compact combo which pieces overlap with the rest of the deck, in that case this could be for example Sun Titan + Angelic Renewal + Altar of Dementia / Blasting Station. Sun Titan and Angelic Renewal provide recursion and protection on their own. Altar of Dementia and Blasting Station provide protection against Control Magic effects and when combined they give you win on the spot in most circumstances (note that if you will go really heavy on recursion you can mill yourself with Altar for more value). Bant colors provide multiple possibilities of recurring those pieces so you don't need to hesitate using them for value early game and still have possibility of going off later.
Thank you for the helpful advice. I think I have a better idea on what to do with her.
I originally brewed around her as a political commander since I thought she could still draw cards if I bestowed her on an opponents creature, but then I actually read the card and ended up using her as a generic good-stuff bant commander for a few months. I tend to prefer Treva and ended up switching back to her.
In any bant deck that has 24+ creatures to enchant, she is good as a non-threatening value commander, either buffing junk utility to get some early damage, ward off early aggression by making a junk utility creature a bit bigger to block, all while potentially drawing a few extra cards.
Not the most powerful bant commander, and until the next theros set there isn't enough enchantment-creature utility to really push a focused deck, but when used as a good-stuff commander this she is pretty good.
I don't know if you're still looking for some advice, but I do have a tip or two. When I started building Kestia, I didn't have much of an idea outside of just enchantress cards, enchantment creatures and the like. You know, basic stuff. But then I read an article that gave me two things I was overlooking: the Gods and stealing creatures.
The Theros Gods (EX: Nylea & Thassa) are just good in general for everything the deck will want to do. They're enchantments so they will count towards enchantress effects to draw you cards. Plus, they're indestructable making them pains for people to remove. And if you get them to be creatures they will hit hard while handing out various advantages. Overall, I'd say they're almost an auto-include if a bit pricey in real life.
Auras like Corrupted Conscience and Control Magic work out more than you think. Not only will they trigger Kestia but they give you a back up plan in case you don't have any good beaters out just yet or if your opponents have really good creatures. Not to mention that if the creature you took dies, it's not that big of a deal for you because really, you didn't lose anything but your opponent will have.
A bit different direction can be generating a lot of small tokens and generating value with Enchanted Evening. If you will be sure that your creatures will be small you can use Tetsuko Umezawa, Fugitive to make sure they will go through and double on draw with Edric, Spymaster of Trest. But this strategy hinges a lot on a few irreplaceable pieces so it will be harder to pull off.
Personally I always like to include as plan B some compact combo which pieces overlap with the rest of the deck, in that case this could be for example Sun Titan + Angelic Renewal + Altar of Dementia / Blasting Station. Sun Titan and Angelic Renewal provide recursion and protection on their own. Altar of Dementia and Blasting Station provide protection against Control Magic effects and when combined they give you win on the spot in most circumstances (note that if you will go really heavy on recursion you can mill yourself with Altar for more value). Bant colors provide multiple possibilities of recurring those pieces so you don't need to hesitate using them for value early game and still have possibility of going off later.
With your approach on tapping/untapping, I think Stax cards like the Orbs could be used here, consider you can untap enchanted permanents very easily with an Enchantress deck. That, and with enough card draws, Mind over Matter becomes highly versatile as well.
You can generate a lot of card advantage with Kestia but you need to be able to protect her and your other creatures (some kind of evasion also counts as it allows them to attack and not die to blocks).
Stuff that you should look into:
- generating mana from attackers to play drawn cards immediately - Bear Umbra, Nature's Will, Sword of Feast and Famine, Derevi, Empyrial Tactician,
- protecting your attackers and enchantments / recursion - umbras, enchantments that return from graveyard when destroyed like Rancor and Angelic Destiny, Sterling Grove, Privileged Position, Greater Auramancy, Replenish, Open the Vaults, Crystal Chimes, Hall of Heliod's Generosity, Teferi's Protection,
- evasion - Archetype of Imagination, Champion of Lambholt, Keeper of Keys, Open into Wonder, Venser, the Sojourner,
- obvious enchantress stuff - cost reducers and draw from playing enchantments.
A bit different direction can be generating a lot of small tokens and generating value with Enchanted Evening. If you will be sure that your creatures will be small you can use Tetsuko Umezawa, Fugitive to make sure they will go through and double on draw with Edric, Spymaster of Trest. But this strategy hinges a lot on a few irreplaceable pieces so it will be harder to pull off.
Personally I always like to include as plan B some compact combo which pieces overlap with the rest of the deck, in that case this could be for example Sun Titan + Angelic Renewal + Altar of Dementia / Blasting Station. Sun Titan and Angelic Renewal provide recursion and protection on their own. Altar of Dementia and Blasting Station provide protection against Control Magic effects and when combined they give you win on the spot in most circumstances (note that if you will go really heavy on recursion you can mill yourself with Altar for more value). Bant colors provide multiple possibilities of recurring those pieces so you don't need to hesitate using them for value early game and still have possibility of going off later.
In any bant deck that has 24+ creatures to enchant, she is good as a non-threatening value commander, either buffing junk utility to get some early damage, ward off early aggression by making a junk utility creature a bit bigger to block, all while potentially drawing a few extra cards.
Not the most powerful bant commander, and until the next theros set there isn't enough enchantment-creature utility to really push a focused deck, but when used as a good-stuff commander this she is pretty good.
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've normally seen her cast as a creature, along with a deck running lots of cheap auras to turn any creatures into not-quite-Ophidians.
Two Score, Minus Two or: A Stargate Tail
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The Theros Gods (EX: Nylea & Thassa) are just good in general for everything the deck will want to do. They're enchantments so they will count towards enchantress effects to draw you cards. Plus, they're indestructable making them pains for people to remove. And if you get them to be creatures they will hit hard while handing out various advantages. Overall, I'd say they're almost an auto-include if a bit pricey in real life.
Auras like Corrupted Conscience and Control Magic work out more than you think. Not only will they trigger Kestia but they give you a back up plan in case you don't have any good beaters out just yet or if your opponents have really good creatures. Not to mention that if the creature you took dies, it's not that big of a deal for you because really, you didn't lose anything but your opponent will have.
BK'rrik Goodstuff
GWSythis Enchantress
URYusri Coin Flip
BRGKorvold Tokens
BGUYarok Lands Matter
WUBRaffine Looter
With your approach on tapping/untapping, I think Stax cards like the Orbs could be used here, consider you can untap enchanted permanents very easily with an Enchantress deck. That, and with enough card draws, Mind over Matter becomes highly versatile as well.
Shu Yun, the Silent Tempest WUR Voltron Control
Temmet, Vizier of Naktamun WU Unblockable Mirror Trickery
Ra's al Ghul (Sidar Kondo) and Face-Down Ninjas
Brudiclad, Token Engineer
Vaevictis (VV2) the Dire Lantern
Rona, Disciple of Gix
Tiana the Auror
Hallar
Ulrich the Politician
Zur the Rebel
Scorpion, Locust, Scarab, Egyptian Gods
O-Kagachi, Mathas, Mairsil
"Non-Tribal" Tribal Generals, Eggs