Ulasht, the Hate Seed and Nath of the Gilt-Leaf each have their own strengths and weaknesses, as well as their own play style. While they share a common core of green (great for ramp and tokens), the red or black sides offer very different strategies. Just a few things to consider when choosing between them:
- On an empty board (perhaps just after a board wipe), Ulasht is useless; it requires at least a moderate board to even be worth casting. Nath can at least survive entering the battlefield on an empty board and, if he survives, can start generating value with no further mana investment.
- With deathtouch, Ulasht offers cheap creature removal. Nath is in the color of creature removal.
- Ulasht offers a vague suggestion of a deck based around tokens and +1/+1 counters but doesn't really dictate a specific strategy. This can be good for some players (who don't want to be railroaded) but bad for others (who may want a little structure to build around).
- Nath works best with discard support - that doesn't mean you can't build any other way, but it is the best way to get the most out of your commander. Discard can annoy people into targeting you, but it also takes away their resources to do so. Making Elf tokens also suggests an elf-ball build, which is a traditionally strong archetype.
- You mentioned in the original post that you were considering a reanimation or token commander - Nath's black mana allows you to dip your toes in both.
- If I sound biased at all (and I'm trying not to), it's because black is my favorite color. If you prefer red, choose that. What draws you toward each commander? Toward each color pairing? Go with the one that you think would be more interesting.
- In either case, I'd suggest finding some decklists online and starting a conversation with the builders to see what they like about their chosen commander or specific card choices. The beauty of Magic in general and Commander in particular is that the color pie and individual card selections allow you to craft a very personal experience. Do what you like.
Also, a deck is never finished. Build something and play with it. Note its flaws and how you want to improve it. Winning is not the end game. Having a fun experience with friends is.
Great advice. Don't wait to craft the perfect deck.
For card selection to match a specific commander, you can check out edhrec.com. Type in the commander name, and it'll show you the cards most commonly run with that commander. You can filter by high or low budget and by specific strategies. You can even have it generate an "average list" for that commander, though I would never try building that. I personally use the site to see if there are any cool interactions I haven't thought of, and I build my own list sprinkled with ideas from there.
Gatherer is also a great resource for finding cards. You can search for specific words or card types or colors and just see what's out there (this does require more time and work than other methods, but it can also find gems that haven't become popular yet.
And there's always Google to simply look at other posted decks with that same commander or theme.
For how many cards that act as removal or draw, there are varying theories.
The simplest is probably 8x8 Theory. Pick eight things you want your deck to do. this can include things like Draw, Removal, Ramp, Combo Pieces, Tribal Support, whatever; you can even dedicate two slots to the same function. Then, for each slot, fill it with eight cards. That'll give you 64 cards, and once you add 36 land, you've got a 100-card deck.
The Command Zone offered up a formula years ago that you can find on YouTube, but in recent videos, they've mentioned that they have been tweaking the numbers, adding in more spot removal than they used to.
One big thing I've seen a lot of people forget is to build with a good mana curve. Even in Commander, the format of big, swingy plays, you need to make sure you have a good curve to be able to play things both early game and late.
So, out of curiosity, what commander have you picked? That may help us to make more specific suggestions.
- On an empty board (perhaps just after a board wipe), Ulasht is useless; it requires at least a moderate board to even be worth casting. Nath can at least survive entering the battlefield on an empty board and, if he survives, can start generating value with no further mana investment.
- With deathtouch, Ulasht offers cheap creature removal. Nath is in the color of creature removal.
- Ulasht offers a vague suggestion of a deck based around tokens and +1/+1 counters but doesn't really dictate a specific strategy. This can be good for some players (who don't want to be railroaded) but bad for others (who may want a little structure to build around).
- Nath works best with discard support - that doesn't mean you can't build any other way, but it is the best way to get the most out of your commander. Discard can annoy people into targeting you, but it also takes away their resources to do so. Making Elf tokens also suggests an elf-ball build, which is a traditionally strong archetype.
- You mentioned in the original post that you were considering a reanimation or token commander - Nath's black mana allows you to dip your toes in both.
- If I sound biased at all (and I'm trying not to), it's because black is my favorite color. If you prefer red, choose that. What draws you toward each commander? Toward each color pairing? Go with the one that you think would be more interesting.
- In either case, I'd suggest finding some decklists online and starting a conversation with the builders to see what they like about their chosen commander or specific card choices. The beauty of Magic in general and Commander in particular is that the color pie and individual card selections allow you to craft a very personal experience. Do what you like. Great advice. Don't wait to craft the perfect deck.
2023 Average Peasant Cube|and Discussion
Because I have more decks than fit in a signature
Useful Resources:
MTGSalvation tags
EDHREC
ManabaseCrafter
For card selection to match a specific commander, you can check out edhrec.com. Type in the commander name, and it'll show you the cards most commonly run with that commander. You can filter by high or low budget and by specific strategies. You can even have it generate an "average list" for that commander, though I would never try building that. I personally use the site to see if there are any cool interactions I haven't thought of, and I build my own list sprinkled with ideas from there.
Gatherer is also a great resource for finding cards. You can search for specific words or card types or colors and just see what's out there (this does require more time and work than other methods, but it can also find gems that haven't become popular yet.
And there's always Google to simply look at other posted decks with that same commander or theme.
For how many cards that act as removal or draw, there are varying theories.
The simplest is probably 8x8 Theory. Pick eight things you want your deck to do. this can include things like Draw, Removal, Ramp, Combo Pieces, Tribal Support, whatever; you can even dedicate two slots to the same function. Then, for each slot, fill it with eight cards. That'll give you 64 cards, and once you add 36 land, you've got a 100-card deck.
The Command Zone offered up a formula years ago that you can find on YouTube, but in recent videos, they've mentioned that they have been tweaking the numbers, adding in more spot removal than they used to.
One big thing I've seen a lot of people forget is to build with a good mana curve. Even in Commander, the format of big, swingy plays, you need to make sure you have a good curve to be able to play things both early game and late.
So, out of curiosity, what commander have you picked? That may help us to make more specific suggestions.
2023 Average Peasant Cube|and Discussion
Because I have more decks than fit in a signature
Useful Resources:
MTGSalvation tags
EDHREC
ManabaseCrafter