I’ve written before about how much I appreciate Magic: The Gathering’s preconstructed decks. A recent trend in Commander pre-cons is very exciting to me. Sultai Arisen, one of the pre-con Commander decks from Tarkir: Dragonstorm, adds to the value of a pre-con by allowing the player to choose one of two potential commanders At the heart of this deck are two commanders: Teval, the Balanced Scale and Kotis, Sibsig Champion. Each commander uses a mill-to-buff strategy but they take a very different approach.

Teval and Her Huge…Tracts of Land

Teval is a powerful real estate Dragon who knows how important it is to invest early and often in land. By milling lands, Teval can get them on the battlefield later on and in doing so, create an army of zombies to assist her in battle.  The downside is that many creatures get milled in the process.  Fortunately, the deck has a lot of creatures to spare.  

Teval is good at resource management.  By that, I mean that the other cards in Sultai Arisen work together well so that it's not so easy to fizzle out early in the game.  Cards like Conduit of Worlds and Meren of Clan Nel Toth ensure that even if Teval isn’t on the battlefield, there isn’t a shortage of land cards on the battlefield.  Cards like Tasigur, the Golden Fang make sure that even if a creature card is in the graveyard, it can still make its way back to the battlefield.

Teval’s biggest drawback is that she isn’t fast.  Although I’ve been able to get her out on the battlefield as early as turn three, her power comes from patiently waiting for her to buff the battlefield with Zombie tokens and so much land that anything in the deck is affordable to cast.  If she goes toe to toe with another faster Commander deck, that could spell trouble.  Luckily, the Commander format is typically a slower paced game allowing for Teval to really cook. 

Kotis, the Zombie Commander

Kotis is a Zombie Warrior but don’t let his rotting flesh fool you. Kotis leans into a far more aggressive playstyle. Like Teval, Kotis relies on self-milling and re-animation to get cards on the battlefield but what sets him apart is that instead of investing in lands, Kotis allows players to cast cards directly from the graveyard often at the expense of land resources on the battlefield. He literally commands the dead back to life. 

Kotis’ aggressive nature makes him an ideal Commander for players who want to put pressure on their opponents early.  He’s not afraid of a board wipe as creatures in the graveyard like Woe Strider and Reassembling Skeleton don’t require him on the battlefield to come back out.  While a board wipe may strike fear into the hearts of most Commander players, Kotis knows that he can rebuild faster than anyone else at the table.

His biggest drawback is land management.  Cards like Floral Evoker and Will of the Sultai allow for players to get more available resources but it is important to note that Kotis benefits from an opening hand that is land heavy because getting him on the battlefield makes getting creatures out easier. When Kotis commands and Teval is also present on the battlefield, they make for a power couple not to be messed with. Kotis is buffing the battlefield with creatures and Teval is adding more resources and Zombies.

Teval, I Choose You!

Ultimately, the choice between Teval and Kotis comes down to your personal playstyle.  I am a much more patient and relaxed player. I prefer the slow burn over early aggression.  I find that Kotis’ aggression can put a target right on his player’s back and I don’t need that kind of energy.

If you prefer aggression, being the one to knock out a powerful player early, or just don’t want to wait to build up an army of the dead for blocking, Kotis may be a better option for you. Kotis turns up the heat early so your opponents will have to respond lest they be eliminated quickly. That could be a more thrilling experience for some people.

Giving pre-cons two Commanders to choose from makes them more versatile and increases their value leaps and bounds.  Sultai Arisen is a triumph in both cases.  There is so much flexibility in playstyle that it can be a great option for more than one kind of player. Giving Teval and Kotis a chance could be a game changer at your next Commander night.