Kaseto, Orochi Archmage
Created Jan 6, 2019
Updated Jan 6, 2019
Main Board (99)
Creature (25)
Enchantment (6)
Basic Land (35)
Artifact (12)
Instant (14)
Sorcery (7)
Creature (25)
Enchantment (6)
Basic Land (35)
Artifact (12)
Instant (14)
Sorcery (7)
Quick Info
Deck #16: Simic (Green-Blue)
Hey Guys! Dave here. For new players, this is probably the absolute best color combination possible; between ramp, card draw, and a simple two-color mana base you have a potent mix for any Commander deck. When the Commander 2015 product was spoiled, one card I really honed in on was Kaseto, Orochi Archmage. I was already starting to brew a UG Snake deck at that time due to the number of interesting snakes that exist (" target="blank">Mystic Snake, " target="blank">Coiling Oracle, " target="blank">Sakura Tribe-Elder, and " target="blank">Lotus Cobra to name the best ones) with " target="blank">Edric, Spymaster of Trest as the commander when Wizards decided to give me the perfect commander in Kaseto.
Although there are many variations of Snake tribal decks out there, I never really cared for some of the inclusions you frequently see, " target="blank">Patagia Viper, " target="blank">Cobra Trap, " target="blank">Sosuke’s Summons, and the older poison mechanic snakes, such as " target="blank">Sabertooth Cobra, just don’t seem cost effective in EDH (at least not in the most builds I see them in). I decided that instead of spending three mana for a 2/2 that potentially deals out poison counters, I’d rather spend three mana on something with synergies. Many snakes offer the potential of drawing cards if they deal combat damage which is a nice synergy to focus on in a format like EDH. Furthermore, mechanics like Infect put a target on you as it bends the rules of the game by making opponents life total a quarter of the size they normally are this format. This lead me to focus on playing more defensively and striking an opponent in one or two hits for the kill. This also allowed the curve of the deck not to get clogged down with ineffective three and four drops.
Of course, you have to start by making your opponents’ think you are just jamming all the snakes into a deck with some ramp and card draw. It’s common for the first few turns be one or two drop snakes and ramp, but after a few turns you lean on your counterspells, 'rattlesnakes' (creatures with Deathtouch), and deterrents to prevent you from being the target. Most opponents begin ignoring your turn due to the seemingly tribal theme you are running, even if you drop a potential win condition like " target="blank">Blight Mamba into play. There are several ways to win a game with this deck. First, Kaseto can just pound in for commander damage due to his ability; the aforementioned " target="blank">Blight Mamba is another way to quickly end a player who may be about to combo off. " target="blank">Rite of Replication targeting the best creature in play is usually enough to close out a game. Lastly, " target="blank">Sakura-Tribe Scout+" target="blank">Retreat to Coralhelm+[/card] forms an infinite engine for Seed the Land" target="blank">Oboro, Palace in the Clouds[/card] forms an infinite engine for Seed the Land or " target="blank">Altar of the Brood to win a game. Sometimes the best way to win is to not lose, " target="blank">Constant Mists+" target="blank">Ramunap Excavator and the other mass bounce effects are enough to halt progress on that front (assuming anyone is willing to attack into deathtouch and regeneration creatures you have in play). If all else fails, " target="blank">Endless Swarm is an extremely flavorful way to stop actually playing Magic and potentially win the game.
Overall, this is one of my favorite decks to play. It walks the line of power Simic decks generally have, but maintains itself by focusing on flavorful additions that may be strictly worse (see " target="blank">Havenwood Battleground). I’ve always had a lot of fun with this deck and don’t recall anyone ever complaining about the power level or the surprise loss to a unblockable threat. Happy Gaming!
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