I pretty much only play EDH except for prereleases and the occasional cube draft. While I love EDH, I have been running into a problem lately, one that was amplified by this most recent prerelease. Like most of us, I love getting new cards from the new sets and I love building to a mechanical theme. The issue, is that it doesn't always work to build around a new theme because Wizards will introduce a new mechanic for a block and it can only get so much space in the block. Additionally, a lot of that space ends up dedicated to 'limited chaff' as I hear it often called, that being commons and uncommons that just aren't splashy enough to usually see play in commander. I mentioned this most recent prerelease amplified the issue because I built a Dash based deck in the prerelease that relied on Impact Tremors and other cards of that sort to work and I adored it.
I would love to make a commander deck with Dash as the mechanical theme and maybe add in the Raid mechanic from KTK and maybe use Alesha, Who Smiles at Death as the commander, but even if I use all of the cards with those mechanics (not counting alesha in this), I only have 29 cards. Assuming 38 lands (that's my minimum for lands), that leaves me with 32 slots.
Can anyone give me some ideas on cards to add into this to fill the 32? I would love to keep it either in this block or only stretch to standard (Mainly because I would love to use Purphoros, God of the Forge in the deck), but if you don't think this will work, anything goes. Additionally, do you guys even think this is viable? And don't worry about hyper-competitive concerns, my group is solid but we all have many levels of decks and all of us love building and testing so much that we are willing to build a new deck to the same level as someone else's to make for a good game.
Well, if you want to use Dash, just use all kinds of cards that syngergize with Dash one way or another. Warstorm Surge, Where Ancients Tread and Pandemonium are good starting points. Then there are cards from pre-Khans that have the same kind of way in how they play (Viashino Sandstalker, Archwing Dragon) and go with that.
I do think if you keep your EDH deck to standard only, you're setting yourself up for disappointment. Standard works because realistically, you only need about 15-20 cards in your standard deck. Heck, you can do with 11 (20 base lands, 10 other cards 4 times) which means they don't need such a large pool of playables in Standard. In a Commander deck though, you'll need at least 60, not counting base land...
So if I were you, I'd stretch out to other blocks, and look for stuff that syngergizes nicely with Dash. Don't worry about viability; as long as it's fun to play, you can make a deck out of it and go with it.
In the end, if you want to build around a theme, it's almost always possible. Just be prepared to stretch throughout Magic's history.
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My Commander decks:
Chandra, Torch of Defiance - Oops! All Chandras.
Prime Speaker Zegana - Draw for Power.
Pir & Toothy - Counterpalooza.
Arcades, the Strategist - Another Brick in the Wall.
Zacama, Primal Calamity - Calamity of Double Mana.
Edgar Markov - Vampires Don't Die.
Child of Alara - Dreamcrusher.
Yeah, you're definitely going to have a hard time keeping your deck to standard only and still having it be fun and thematic, and you're missing out on some interesting synergies.
You'll probably want to look for cards that, as Cypher said, synergize with Dash: Cards like Spirit Bonds and Ogre Battledriver that give your creatures bonus ETB effects are nice. Extractor Demon and Outpost Siege have effects when creatures leave the battlefield, which gives Dash extra oomph. Changeling Berserker, Changeling Hero and Tawnos's Coffin let you save your Dash creatures by temporarily removing them from the board before end step. Urabrask the Hidden makes everyone equally speedy and stops counterattacks by your opponent's hasty creatures, cards like Blind Obedience have the same effect. Depending on how deep you want to go into the Dash theme, Ward of Bones can turn a sparse board on your end into an annoyance for your opponents.
If you're going with Alesha as your general, Avalanche Riders, Karmic Guide and Stingscourger provide useful, recurrable ETB effects and Echo gives them a similar hit and run flavor to Dash. Mentor of the Meek and Tethmos High Priest share Alesha's love for little creatures, Mentor is a must-have in this deck in particular.
How serious business is your playgroup? If any deck justifies Rocket-Powered Turbo Slug it's this one.
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Amateur Alter Artist | Boros Timmy | Crossover Fanfic Author
WAtalya, Samite BaronessW | ULorthos the ExorcistU WUBRGKarona's Dream DiaryWUBRG BGInsector Haga's Sapling of ColfenorBG
If you need to find a way to stop yourself from digging too deep for on-theme cards (or just from adding too many cards in to begin with), remember that you'll want to save a fair amount of space for removal spells and other useful effects. By the time you account for creature removal, artifact/enchantment removal, graveyard hate, card draw/selection, recursion, and mana fixing/production, you'll have far less deckspace that you'll need to commit towards your main theme. Just looking at some of the instants within Tarkir block, I can see at least 15 cards that might be worth a place in a Mardu deck, regardless of theme:
Thanks for the replies guys, especially you Lycoris. I am going to try to just do it with KTK block cards. There are 322 on color cards just in KTK block and after the 29 cards with either Dash or Raid and with the 15 that Lycoris mentioned that leaves me 17 more slots to fill. After a few more key cards like End Hostilities and Crux of Fate, I can add in 15 more cards that will be different Mardu and Kolaghan goodies or some random dragons then maybe some artifact mana sources and have a deck. It might not end up being the greatest deck, but I bet it will be fun. I will put together a list and post it soon then proxy the deck up next week and test it when I am back with my normal playgroup.
I would love to make a commander deck with Dash as the mechanical theme and maybe add in the Raid mechanic from KTK and maybe use Alesha, Who Smiles at Death as the commander, but even if I use all of the cards with those mechanics (not counting alesha in this), I only have 29 cards. Assuming 38 lands (that's my minimum for lands), that leaves me with 32 slots.
Can anyone give me some ideas on cards to add into this to fill the 32? I would love to keep it either in this block or only stretch to standard (Mainly because I would love to use Purphoros, God of the Forge in the deck), but if you don't think this will work, anything goes. Additionally, do you guys even think this is viable? And don't worry about hyper-competitive concerns, my group is solid but we all have many levels of decks and all of us love building and testing so much that we are willing to build a new deck to the same level as someone else's to make for a good game.
Marath, Will of the Wild Tokens!! / Karrthus, Tyrant of Jund Dragons! / Muzzio, Visionary Architect / Brago, King Eternal / Daretti, Scrap Savant / Narset, Enlightened Master / Alesha, Who Smiles at Death / Bruna, Light of Alabaster / Marchesa, the Black Rose / Iroas, God of Victory / Freyalise, Llanowar's Fury / Omnath, Locus of rage / Titania, Protector of Argoth / Kozilek, the Great Distortion
Modern
Elves / Titanshift / Merfolk
I do think if you keep your EDH deck to standard only, you're setting yourself up for disappointment. Standard works because realistically, you only need about 15-20 cards in your standard deck. Heck, you can do with 11 (20 base lands, 10 other cards 4 times) which means they don't need such a large pool of playables in Standard. In a Commander deck though, you'll need at least 60, not counting base land...
So if I were you, I'd stretch out to other blocks, and look for stuff that syngergizes nicely with Dash. Don't worry about viability; as long as it's fun to play, you can make a deck out of it and go with it.
In the end, if you want to build around a theme, it's almost always possible. Just be prepared to stretch throughout Magic's history.
Chandra, Torch of Defiance - Oops! All Chandras.
Prime Speaker Zegana - Draw for Power.
Pir & Toothy - Counterpalooza.
Arcades, the Strategist - Another Brick in the Wall.
Zacama, Primal Calamity - Calamity of Double Mana.
Edgar Markov - Vampires Don't Die.
Child of Alara - Dreamcrusher.
You'll probably want to look for cards that, as Cypher said, synergize with Dash: Cards like Spirit Bonds and Ogre Battledriver that give your creatures bonus ETB effects are nice. Extractor Demon and Outpost Siege have effects when creatures leave the battlefield, which gives Dash extra oomph. Changeling Berserker, Changeling Hero and Tawnos's Coffin let you save your Dash creatures by temporarily removing them from the board before end step. Urabrask the Hidden makes everyone equally speedy and stops counterattacks by your opponent's hasty creatures, cards like Blind Obedience have the same effect. Depending on how deep you want to go into the Dash theme, Ward of Bones can turn a sparse board on your end into an annoyance for your opponents.
If you're going with Alesha as your general, Avalanche Riders, Karmic Guide and Stingscourger provide useful, recurrable ETB effects and Echo gives them a similar hit and run flavor to Dash. Mentor of the Meek and Tethmos High Priest share Alesha's love for little creatures, Mentor is a must-have in this deck in particular.
How serious business is your playgroup? If any deck justifies Rocket-Powered Turbo Slug it's this one.
WAtalya, Samite BaronessW | ULorthos the ExorcistU
WUBRGKarona's Dream DiaryWUBRG
BGInsector Haga's Sapling of ColfenorBG
YGO Commander Project: DM 1/20 GX 1/25 5Ds 0/? ZeXal 0/? Arc V 0/?
Ultimate Price: Low-cost removal.
Secure the Wastes: Instant speed token production.
Sarkhan's Triumph: Dragon tutor (if you want to include some dragons).
Radiant Purge: Low-cost exiling removal.
Foul-Tongue Shriek: Win condition.
Foul Renewal: Creature recursion + removal.
Fate Forgotten: Artifact/Enchantment removal.
Commune with Lava: Card draw.
Valorous Stance: Creature removal + protection.
Arcbond: Wrath.
Burn Away: Creature removal + graveyard removal.
Crackling Doom: Creature removal.
Mardu Charm: Creature removal + token production.
Murderous Cut: Creature removal.
Utter End: Non-land Removal.
RRR - Bosh's School of Hard(cover) Knocks
Marath, Will of the Wild Tokens!! / Karrthus, Tyrant of Jund Dragons! / Muzzio, Visionary Architect / Brago, King Eternal / Daretti, Scrap Savant / Narset, Enlightened Master / Alesha, Who Smiles at Death / Bruna, Light of Alabaster / Marchesa, the Black Rose / Iroas, God of Victory / Freyalise, Llanowar's Fury / Omnath, Locus of rage / Titania, Protector of Argoth / Kozilek, the Great Distortion
Modern
Elves / Titanshift / Merfolk