MTG Salvation

INTRODUCTION:

This deck represents the culmination of my search for a mono-red commander that avoids the common pitfalls of other mono-red generals, namely linear and non-interactive gameplay, and instead produces compelling board states and novel interactions.

Krenko, Mob Boss was my very first commander, but, in addition to drawing a lot of hate from the table, my LSG's points system disincentivises the infinite combos that make Krenko so strong. I tried Heartless Hidetsugu, which, while fun and challenging to pilot, often ended commander games far too early, win or lose. Purphoros, God of the Forge was both consistent and consistently dull, with games boiling down to resolving 1-2 spells a turn and waiting 15+ minutes while the rest of the table played Magic. Neheb, the Eternal was actually a lot of fun to build and pilot, but again, the end game felt too similar to other mono-red commanders. Blowing out the whole table from out of nowhere has its charms, but it gets old over time.

Unlike the other top mono-red commanders which rely heavily on direct damage and combo wins, Etali, Primal Stormthrives in the attack step. Her unique ability to basically Mind's Dilation the table lets us play with our opponent's cards, leading to some truely weird looking boardstates and creating oppotunities for novel lines of play.


STRATEGY:

Pretty simple to start with, our goal is to ramp and hopefully set up a haste effect and/or card filter for when we drop Etail. Obviously you'll want to avoid running her out without either a haste effect or a way to protect her. So if your opponents are repesenting counter magic or instant speed removal, playing out other creatures, putting pressure on them, and biding your time is the best option. It usually only takes 1-2 attacks to really cause problems for the table, so finding the right window to play and attack with Etali is key.

The best case senario is to drop Etali with a haste effect in play, get your attack trigger, and have Relentless Assault or something similar in hand to follow up with in your second main phase. The best part is, with global haste effects like Fervor or Hammer of Purphoros, if you do flip some creatures with your first attack, they too can join in on any subsequent attack phases.





NOTABLE CARDS:

• Sensei's Divining Top, et al - Manipulating the top of our deck with Top and Scry effects ensures getting maximum value from Etali's trigger.
• Relentless Assault and friends - If attacking with Etali once was good value, attacking multiple times in a turn often produces an overwhelming advantage. Note that these specify "this main phase" and cannot be cast off Etali's trigger. They are still so strong in this deck that playing them is well worth the occasional brick.
• Dolmen Gate - We're already attacking. Why not make sure Etali is still around post-combat.
• Berserkers' Onslaught - Just crazy good with multiple attack steps, and also makes Etali a two turn clock.
• Chromatic Lantern - Your opponent's cards often come with potentially useful acivated abilities. Chromatic Lantern helps you do just that.

CONSIDERATIONS:

• Boom // Bust, Volcanic Awakening, Wake of Destruction, Keldon Firebombers - If you want to max out on land destruction (depending on your metagame), these are some of the best options.
• Sword of Feast and Famine, and additional equipment - There are other pieces of equipment that could help protect Etali or profit from the additional attack steps. If you go in this direction, Godo, Bandit Warlord would be a logical addition.
• Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre and other Eldrazi - Another likely addition, though I don't really know whether its worth maxing out on these. Playing another big creature post-combat in addition to our Etali flips is a nice way to apply maximum pressure to our opponents while reserving resources in case of a wrath. I find six and seven drops to be better than ten or eleven drops for this purpose. This and you don't always have the Scry effect to flip something otherwise uncastable off the top.

Changelog

Would Ruby Medallion be worth it?

I wasn't sure on Ruby Medallion when I first sleeved this up, given the number of artifacts it doesn't help ramp. But I've found getting Etail out 1-2 turns early is a huge boon to the deck. Plus, mid to late game, playing multiple spells post combat may put things over the top.

I'll probably trade out Mind Stone for now and see how it plays.

Thanks

Quote from Outcryqq »

Would Ruby Medallion be worth it?

I would argue that on-color Medallions are always worth it in mono-colored decks.

Also, I would add a Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle. You don't have to go crazy with Expedition Maps or anything, but if you happen to have it, a free Bolt every turn is nothing to sneeze at.

Updated OP

After some additional play testing I found a need for more Etali protection, hence the Darksteel Plate and Swiftfoot Boots, and I also wanted another piece of spot removal so I added in Scour from Existence to try out. Crystal Ball was cut for Scroll Rack and Seer's Lantern was dropped in favor of Fellwar Stone; while Scrying away land was nice, I only very rarely spent the full 3 mana to Scry with the lantern (2 to pay and another foregone by tapping the Lantern itself). Fellwar Stone is an additional Chromatic Lantern effect. I debating whether to include Exotic Orchard, perhaps over Forgotten Cave. I also took the advice on Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle and Ruby Medallion.

Cool deck. I was thinking about building Etali and I will use this as a starting point. Lots of cool stuff in this thread.

Updated OP.

Turns out I was short a card for this list so I added in Hour of Devastation. I also wanted to try out the Godo/Helm combo as both sides are good in this deck on their own.

Updated OP

Updates after a few months of testing. I found a need for more interaction, especially early, so I added a few more sweepers and removal. I wanted to try pressing the deck's identity a bit more so I'm testing out both Mirage Mirror and Stolen Strategy. Also, turns out Isolated Watchtower is as good as advertised in mono-colored decks and even better in a deck that places a premium on Scry effects.

Suggestions for testing welcome. Thanks.