I went through several different decks in a short period of time when I first started playing EDH. I knew what kind of deck I wanted to build but no commander seemed to fit my ideal playstyle. Then Wizards released Glissa the Traitor. She's an incredibly versatile general, capable of hosting strategies from Combo to Reanimator to Voltron to Stax. She's a jack of all trades and with an efficient converted mana cost of 3 she's resilient and competitively costed. I've been playing with Glissa since her release in 2011 and this deck has gone through many iterations since.
Gameplan "I will trade life for life with the insurgents. Our resources, unlike theirs, are limitless."
—Davvol, Evincar of Rath
This deck's primary goal is to squeeze card advantage out of every action. In the early game, cards like Attrition and Grave Pact as well as recursion engines like Genesis, Golgari Thug, Reassembing Skeleton, and Glissa, the Traitor herself all ensure that your opponents have no opportunity to beat you down as you grab repeated use out of your creatures. Cards like Krosan Grip stop your opponents from comboing out as you assemble your mana base.
Glissa, the Traitor- Our general. Many Glissa decks play her very aggressively but I tend to use her as more of a utility creature. I don't like playing her out early without many ways to abuse or protect her because she tends to be a lightning rod for kill spells and wrath effects. Tucking her isn't too big a deal in this build though with the myriad of ways to tutor her back if need be. Blightsteel Colossus- Win con. Plain and simple. He doesn't die and gets tutored out by Kuldotha Forgemaster or a very large Genesis Wave. Sylvan Primordial- This deck was dealt a huge blow by the banning of Primeval Titan (RIP). Sylvan Primordial serves as something of a replacement for him, but I'm not sure I'm happy with it because it can't search out Cabal Coffers and Urborg. It does serve a very strong utility purpose though. Geth, Lord of the Vault- You're killing plenty of creatures and artifacts with Glissa's cohorts so why not abuse Geth and the ridiculous amount of mana this deck can produce and bring them all back? Steel Hellkite- He's a decent sized beater and an all-purpose kill spell in a pinch. Wurmcoil Engine- Rattlesnake card that gets ridiculous when you start sacrificing it and recurring it with Glissa. Duplicant- A bit of a non-bo with Glissa, Duplicant sticks around in the deck because he permanently gets rid of creatures that are really too dangerous to stick around anywhere. Genesis- Another recursion engine. Kuldotha Forgemaster- A tutor card that interacts favorably with Spine of Ish Sah. It can grab out combo pieces like Helm of Obedience or win-con creatures like Darksteel Colossus. Solemn Simulacrum- My favorite utility creature. He's recurrable card advantage and a ramp engine! Eternal Witness- Green deck staple. Genesis Wave twice? Why not? Yavimaya Elder- Early game color fixing and late game cycling spell. Moriok Replica- Repeatable Sign in Blood! Sylvok Replica- Decent early game blocker that blows himself up when problems show up and then comes back when Glissa gets running. Golgari Thug- Our dredge representative. He dumps artifacts and creatures into the graveyard and also works well with things like Grave Pact to keep the board clean. Sakura Tribe Elder- Early game ramp and a solid blocker. Reassembling Skeleton- In my opinion he's one of the best utility creatures in the game. He's a great blocker in a pinch and is an easy choice when you let loose with Innocent Blood.
Liliana Vess- She primarily ends up being used as a tutor but she does have some utility in her +1 if you really need it. Garruk Wildspeaker- Untapping two lands is deceptively dangerous in EDH. For example: Cabal Coffers. Mana Reflection- This basically breaks the game and might as well be a win condition in of itself. Grave Pact- In this deck it's almost always better than any wrath effect. It kills indestructible creatures, stops opponents from targeting you with spot removal, and works in an engine with Reassembling Skeleton, the replicas, and Golgari Thug. Leyline of the Void- A non-bo with Glissa, I only run Leyline of the Void as a combo with Helm of Obedience to get rid of problem players. Abundance- A dark horse card in EDH, Abundance is a great way to fix your draws to make sure you're always hitting gas. Attrition- The best representation of what this deck does. This card lets you abuse creatures like Reassembling Skeleton and Golgari Thug to keep getting rid of your opponents' creatures and eek out resource advantage over time. Phyrexian Arena- Oddly I almost never draw into this. It's a good CA engine when it actually hits the board though.
Treacherous Urge- There's always someone at the table who likes playing with large creatures. This card punishes them for that instinct and then throws the creature into the graveyard, allowing you to recur it with Geth. Krosan Grip- Uncounterable artifact/enchantment destruction to stop that pesky combo player. Vampiric Tutor- One of the best tutors in the game and the only one you can play on your opponents' turn. You can draw into any answer with this and Sensei's Divining Top. Decree of Pain- This card tends to draw you at least 7 cards and clears the board at the same time. If you're in an early game pinch it can even cycle itself and kill some smaller things. Praetor's Counsel- This card is great. It seems a bit innocuous but by the time you play this you should have enough cards in your graveyard that this turns into a blow out. Beacon of Unrest- Easy way to grab out any of the creatures/artifacts that you're killing. Genesis Wave- Win con. It basically grabs your whole deck out and can incidentally combo into Leyline of the Void and Helm of Obedience. Exsanguinate- Win con. This deck produces a ton of mana so Exsanguinate should be able to kill everyone at the table. If it doesn't you'll have so much life that you should always win soon after. In addition, don't be afraid to play this early on. If you play this for X=5 in a 4 player game you're already gaining 15 life. That should give you a solid cushion and buy you a turn or two if you're getting focused. You can always recur this later. Demonic Tutor- My other favorite tutor. The original and the best. Diabolic Intent- Occasionally the conditional cost will make this card better than Demonic Tutor. It turns on Grave Pact, for example. Regrowth- All-purpose recursion at a mana cost that can't be beat. Innocent Blood- A 2 for 1 with Grave Pact out.
Darksteel Plate- In the early game it makes an creature an incredibly resilient blocker. Later on it protects the Glissa engine. Whispersilk Cloak- It doesn't get countered by Glaring Spotlight and can get in those last few points of damage for you. Thornbite Staff- This turns Glissa into a machine gun, clearing the board and getting all the artifacts in your graveyard back into your hand. Lightning Greaves- Your standard commander protection. Spine of Ish Sah- Spot removal that works well with Kuldotha Forgemaster and Phyrexia's Core. Mindslaver- This card can soft lock an opponent if you have Glissa out. Memory Jar- This card is a recurring way to get a new set of resources into your hand and all your opponents' graveyards. Monkey Cage- A dark horse card that really shines in Glissa. Players in EDH have a tendency to play large creatures. This card plays on that because many players will play their giant creatures even when this card is out, underestimating what a boatload of 2/2 apes can do for you as blockers and sacrificial fodder. The cage recurs with Glissa and can beat down players by itself. Mind's Eye- One of the best draw engines in the format. Helm of Obedience- Combo piece with Leyline of the Void that can also work as an instant speed bribery if you need a blocker. Jester's Cap- Shuts down combo players like no one's business. Mimic Vat- Is there a creature with a great ETB ability that you can abuse? Great! Kill it, get an artifact back with Glissa, and then recur it for yourself every turn. Plague Boiler- This card is an early game rattlesnake. It makes your opponents hesitant to play aggressively which is exactly what you want in a Glissa build like this one. Plague Boiler doesn't even need to hit much to be useful. It even recurs later with Glissa out and works like a second Oblivion Stone. Oblivion Stone- Another recurring way to stabilize the board. Crucible of Worlds- One of the greatest engines in the game. It stops your opponents from shutting down the Urborg + Cabal Coffers engine and sets up for repeated land destruction with Strip Mine. You can also recur artifacts with Buried Ruin and hit your land drops consistently with Verdant Catacombs. Elixir of Immortality- One of my signature cards. It gives you a nice handful of life and stops your opponents from using Tormod's Crypt or Bojuka Bog against you. Sensei's Divining Top- This really doesn't need explanation. It sets up your draws, can draw you into answers, etc. Executioner's Capsule- Glissa's best friend and probably the first thing people think of when they see her as a commander. It machine guns the board. Nihil Spellbomb- Graveyard hate and draw engine that keeps on giving with Glissa out. Expedition Map- Recurring tutor for lands to grab out that Cabal Coffers/Urborg. Mind Stone- Early game mana, late game draw engine. Sol Ring- Best ramp in the format. Hands down. Mana Vault- Another good mana rock.
Forbidden Orchard- This makes sure you always have something to kill with Glissa out. Verdant Catacombs- Solid fixing and great synergy with Crucible of Worlds. Overgrown Tomb,Twilight Mire- Dual lands! Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth- Now even better with the new legend rule. Cabal Coffers- Functionally infinite mana is always good. Mosswort Bridge- Hide a Blightsteel Collossus or Praetor's Counsel under this and watch your opponents wither and die. Bojuka Bog- Just because you abuse the graveyard doesn't mean other people get to! Vault of Whispers, Tree of Tales- Artifact lands that work as sacrifice fodder in a pinch. Phyrexian Tower- A sacrifice engine that sets off Grave Pact and gives you mana. Volrath's Stronghold- Creature recursion on a land? Sign me up. Strip Mine- The easiest way to shut down problem lands that keeps on giving with Crucible. Buried Ruin- Artifact recursion in a pinch that gets recurred by the Crucible. Phyrexia's Core- Sacrifice engine for artifacts that can give you bits and pieces of life as a bonus.
Also Consider
Scapeshift- I might replace Sylvan Primordial with this because it enables Coffers + Urborg. However the deck lacks big beaters already and may not be able to take the hit to the creature count. Reliquary Tower- I'm just trying to pull another copy for the deck. Command Tower- I'm running this in my other commander decks. It's great fixing but I don't think it's necessary in a two color deck.
Why Not...?
Viridian Longbow- This card has great synergy with Thornbite Staff and Glissa. However, it's very weak on its own and the combo it forms with Glissa is fragile and doesn't do enough in my list to warrant the space. Plus, the deck produces so much mana that Thornbite Staff can generally clear the board of problem creatures by itself.
History
"I will trade life for life with the insurgents. Our resources, unlike theirs, are limitless."
—Davvol, Evincar of Rath
This deck's primary goal is to squeeze card advantage out of every action. In the early game, cards like Attrition and Grave Pact as well as recursion engines like Genesis, Golgari Thug, Reassembing Skeleton, and Glissa, the Traitor herself all ensure that your opponents have no opportunity to beat you down as you grab repeated use out of your creatures. Cards like Krosan Grip stop your opponents from comboing out as you assemble your mana base.
Then, in the late game, the deck runs a suite of tutors to grab out combos and kill conditions like Blightsteel Colossus, Exsanguinate, Helm of Obedience, Leyline of the Void, and Genesis Wave. If you're not comfortable with or don't want to combo out, your creature kill engines will keep running in the late game, oppressing your opponents' ability to make effective combat decisions as you rush in and beat with Wurmcoil Engine, Steel Hellkite, and Geth, Lord of the Vault. Even Monkey's Cage can win the game for you!
1 Glissa, the Traitor
Creatures (17)
1 Blightsteel Colossus
1 Sylvan Primordial
1 Geth, Lord of the Vault
1 Steel Hellkite
1 Wurmcoil Engine
1 Duplicant
1 Genesis
1 Kuldotha Forgemaster
1 Reaper of the Wild
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Eternal Witness
1 Yavimaya Elder
1 Moriok Replica
1 Sylvok Replica
1 Golgari Thug
1 Sakura Tribe Elder
1 Reassembling Skeleton
Planeswalkers (2)
1 Liliana Vess
1 Garruk Wildspeaker
Enchantments (6)
1 Mana Reflection
1 Grave Pact
1 Leyline of the Void
1 Abundance
1 Attrition
1 Phyrexian Arena
1 Treacherous Urge
1 Krosan Grip
1 Vampiric Tutor
Sorceries (9)
1 Decree of Pain
1 Praetor's Counsel
1 Beacon of Unrest
1 Genesis Wave
1 Exsanguinate
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Diabolic Intent
1 Regrowth
1 Innocent Blood
Artifacts (22)
1 Darksteel Plate
1 Whispersilk Cloak
1 Thornbite Staff
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Spine of Ish Sah
1 Mindslaver
1 Memory Jar
1 Monkey Cage
1 Mind's Eye
1 Helm of Obedience
1 Mimic Vat
1 Plague Boiler
1 Oblivion Stone
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Elixir of Immortality
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Executioner's Capsule
1 Nihil Spellbomb
1 Expedition Map
1 Mind Stone
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Vault
1 Forbidden Orchard
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Twilight Mire
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Cabal Coffers
1 Mosswort Bridge
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Vault of Whispers
1 Tree of Tales
1 Phyrexian Tower
1 Volrath's Stronghold
1 Strip Mine
1 Buried Ruin
1 Phyrexia's Core
12 Swamp
13 Forest
Why X or Y?
Glissa, the Traitor- Our general. Many Glissa decks play her very aggressively but I tend to use her as more of a utility creature. I don't like playing her out early without many ways to abuse or protect her because she tends to be a lightning rod for kill spells and wrath effects. Tucking her isn't too big a deal in this build though with the myriad of ways to tutor her back if need be.
Blightsteel Colossus- Win con. Plain and simple. He doesn't die and gets tutored out by Kuldotha Forgemaster or a very large Genesis Wave.
Sylvan Primordial- This deck was dealt a huge blow by the banning of Primeval Titan (RIP). Sylvan Primordial serves as something of a replacement for him, but I'm not sure I'm happy with it because it can't search out Cabal Coffers and Urborg. It does serve a very strong utility purpose though.
Geth, Lord of the Vault- You're killing plenty of creatures and artifacts with Glissa's cohorts so why not abuse Geth and the ridiculous amount of mana this deck can produce and bring them all back?
Steel Hellkite- He's a decent sized beater and an all-purpose kill spell in a pinch.
Wurmcoil Engine- Rattlesnake card that gets ridiculous when you start sacrificing it and recurring it with Glissa.
Duplicant- A bit of a non-bo with Glissa, Duplicant sticks around in the deck because he permanently gets rid of creatures that are really too dangerous to stick around anywhere.
Genesis- Another recursion engine.
Kuldotha Forgemaster- A tutor card that interacts favorably with Spine of Ish Sah. It can grab out combo pieces like Helm of Obedience or win-con creatures like Darksteel Colossus.
Solemn Simulacrum- My favorite utility creature. He's recurrable card advantage and a ramp engine!
Eternal Witness- Green deck staple. Genesis Wave twice? Why not?
Yavimaya Elder- Early game color fixing and late game cycling spell.
Moriok Replica- Repeatable Sign in Blood!
Sylvok Replica- Decent early game blocker that blows himself up when problems show up and then comes back when Glissa gets running.
Golgari Thug- Our dredge representative. He dumps artifacts and creatures into the graveyard and also works well with things like Grave Pact to keep the board clean.
Sakura Tribe Elder- Early game ramp and a solid blocker.
Reassembling Skeleton- In my opinion he's one of the best utility creatures in the game. He's a great blocker in a pinch and is an easy choice when you let loose with Innocent Blood.
Liliana Vess- She primarily ends up being used as a tutor but she does have some utility in her +1 if you really need it.
Garruk Wildspeaker- Untapping two lands is deceptively dangerous in EDH. For example: Cabal Coffers.
Mana Reflection- This basically breaks the game and might as well be a win condition in of itself.
Grave Pact- In this deck it's almost always better than any wrath effect. It kills indestructible creatures, stops opponents from targeting you with spot removal, and works in an engine with Reassembling Skeleton, the replicas, and Golgari Thug.
Leyline of the Void- A non-bo with Glissa, I only run Leyline of the Void as a combo with Helm of Obedience to get rid of problem players.
Abundance- A dark horse card in EDH, Abundance is a great way to fix your draws to make sure you're always hitting gas.
Attrition- The best representation of what this deck does. This card lets you abuse creatures like Reassembling Skeleton and Golgari Thug to keep getting rid of your opponents' creatures and eek out resource advantage over time.
Phyrexian Arena- Oddly I almost never draw into this. It's a good CA engine when it actually hits the board though.
Treacherous Urge- There's always someone at the table who likes playing with large creatures. This card punishes them for that instinct and then throws the creature into the graveyard, allowing you to recur it with Geth.
Krosan Grip- Uncounterable artifact/enchantment destruction to stop that pesky combo player.
Vampiric Tutor- One of the best tutors in the game and the only one you can play on your opponents' turn. You can draw into any answer with this and Sensei's Divining Top.
Decree of Pain- This card tends to draw you at least 7 cards and clears the board at the same time. If you're in an early game pinch it can even cycle itself and kill some smaller things.
Praetor's Counsel- This card is great. It seems a bit innocuous but by the time you play this you should have enough cards in your graveyard that this turns into a blow out.
Beacon of Unrest- Easy way to grab out any of the creatures/artifacts that you're killing.
Genesis Wave- Win con. It basically grabs your whole deck out and can incidentally combo into Leyline of the Void and Helm of Obedience.
Exsanguinate- Win con. This deck produces a ton of mana so Exsanguinate should be able to kill everyone at the table. If it doesn't you'll have so much life that you should always win soon after. In addition, don't be afraid to play this early on. If you play this for X=5 in a 4 player game you're already gaining 15 life. That should give you a solid cushion and buy you a turn or two if you're getting focused. You can always recur this later.
Demonic Tutor- My other favorite tutor. The original and the best.
Diabolic Intent- Occasionally the conditional cost will make this card better than Demonic Tutor. It turns on Grave Pact, for example.
Regrowth- All-purpose recursion at a mana cost that can't be beat.
Innocent Blood- A 2 for 1 with Grave Pact out.
Darksteel Plate- In the early game it makes an creature an incredibly resilient blocker. Later on it protects the Glissa engine.
Whispersilk Cloak- It doesn't get countered by Glaring Spotlight and can get in those last few points of damage for you.
Thornbite Staff- This turns Glissa into a machine gun, clearing the board and getting all the artifacts in your graveyard back into your hand.
Lightning Greaves- Your standard commander protection.
Spine of Ish Sah- Spot removal that works well with Kuldotha Forgemaster and Phyrexia's Core.
Mindslaver- This card can soft lock an opponent if you have Glissa out.
Memory Jar- This card is a recurring way to get a new set of resources into your hand and all your opponents' graveyards.
Monkey Cage- A dark horse card that really shines in Glissa. Players in EDH have a tendency to play large creatures. This card plays on that because many players will play their giant creatures even when this card is out, underestimating what a boatload of 2/2 apes can do for you as blockers and sacrificial fodder. The cage recurs with Glissa and can beat down players by itself.
Mind's Eye- One of the best draw engines in the format.
Helm of Obedience- Combo piece with Leyline of the Void that can also work as an instant speed bribery if you need a blocker.
Jester's Cap- Shuts down combo players like no one's business.
Mimic Vat- Is there a creature with a great ETB ability that you can abuse? Great! Kill it, get an artifact back with Glissa, and then recur it for yourself every turn.
Plague Boiler- This card is an early game rattlesnake. It makes your opponents hesitant to play aggressively which is exactly what you want in a Glissa build like this one. Plague Boiler doesn't even need to hit much to be useful. It even recurs later with Glissa out and works like a second Oblivion Stone.
Oblivion Stone- Another recurring way to stabilize the board.
Crucible of Worlds- One of the greatest engines in the game. It stops your opponents from shutting down the Urborg + Cabal Coffers engine and sets up for repeated land destruction with Strip Mine. You can also recur artifacts with Buried Ruin and hit your land drops consistently with Verdant Catacombs.
Elixir of Immortality- One of my signature cards. It gives you a nice handful of life and stops your opponents from using Tormod's Crypt or Bojuka Bog against you.
Sensei's Divining Top- This really doesn't need explanation. It sets up your draws, can draw you into answers, etc.
Executioner's Capsule- Glissa's best friend and probably the first thing people think of when they see her as a commander. It machine guns the board.
Nihil Spellbomb- Graveyard hate and draw engine that keeps on giving with Glissa out.
Expedition Map- Recurring tutor for lands to grab out that Cabal Coffers/Urborg.
Mind Stone- Early game mana, late game draw engine.
Sol Ring- Best ramp in the format. Hands down.
Mana Vault- Another good mana rock.
Forbidden Orchard- This makes sure you always have something to kill with Glissa out.
Verdant Catacombs- Solid fixing and great synergy with Crucible of Worlds.
Overgrown Tomb, Twilight Mire- Dual lands!
Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth- Now even better with the new legend rule.
Cabal Coffers- Functionally infinite mana is always good.
Mosswort Bridge- Hide a Blightsteel Collossus or Praetor's Counsel under this and watch your opponents wither and die.
Bojuka Bog- Just because you abuse the graveyard doesn't mean other people get to!
Vault of Whispers, Tree of Tales- Artifact lands that work as sacrifice fodder in a pinch.
Phyrexian Tower- A sacrifice engine that sets off Grave Pact and gives you mana.
Volrath's Stronghold- Creature recursion on a land? Sign me up.
Strip Mine- The easiest way to shut down problem lands that keeps on giving with Crucible.
Buried Ruin- Artifact recursion in a pinch that gets recurred by the Crucible.
Phyrexia's Core- Sacrifice engine for artifacts that can give you bits and pieces of life as a bonus.
Scapeshift- I might replace Sylvan Primordial with this because it enables Coffers + Urborg. However the deck lacks big beaters already and may not be able to take the hit to the creature count.
Reliquary Tower- I'm just trying to pull another copy for the deck.
Command Tower- I'm running this in my other commander decks. It's great fixing but I don't think it's necessary in a two color deck.
Viridian Longbow- This card has great synergy with Thornbite Staff and Glissa. However, it's very weak on its own and the combo it forms with Glissa is fragile and doesn't do enough in my list to warrant the space. Plus, the deck produces so much mana that Thornbite Staff can generally clear the board of problem creatures by itself.
Altered Art Cards! | Commissions currently Closed
Jester's Cap is OUT, and Reaper of the Wild is IN.
Altered Art Cards! | Commissions currently Closed