MTG Salvation

Hey folks, first post, happy to be here!

My table and I have decided to build out the most recent commander precons by using the commander special sets as a sort of cube - Anything from CMD-C18, if it was printed in one of the decks it's usable. I've thrown my lot in with Aminatou's Esper deck.

Problem is, I'm traditionally a straight aggro player and... gotta tell ya... I have no idea what I'm doing here. Without giving me an actual decklist ('cause that's the fun, right?), what are some suggestions for for combos/strong entries in the WUB side of the commander special sets?

Are you limited to using Aminatou?

Yennett, Cryptic Sovereign might be easier to build with a limited card pool.

Put as much card draw as possible, and use Ghoulcaller Gisa as a finisher?

So to get this right, you can use cards from any of the C18 decks, so you can use the blue from EXQUISITE INVENTION, black from NATURE'S VENGEANCE, blue/white from ADAPTIVE ENCHANTMENT?

I'd personally fill the deck with as many wraths (martial coup, phyrexian rebirth...), (not severely overcosted) removal spells (ruinous path, aether gale...), and mana rocks as available, then add whatever does CA for cheap and/or benefit from Aminatou's blinking (duplicant, my battlesphere, phyrexian delver... probably even pilgrim's eye). Perhaps with a little artifact subtheme as there is quite a number of interesting artifacts in there (especially steel hellkite and mimic vat in addition to the previously mentioned ones).
There isn't a lot of 1-4CMC interesting creatures in those colors, so you're likely to have a quite heavy curve (hence the ramp and the wraths... also make sure to run enough lands). Fortunately, your opponents aren't much better off than you are and shouldn't get too much of a lead. Hopefully, you'll catch up in the late game.

Hey, completely forgot about this post. It's not just in C18, it's all of commander, including arsenal. And yeah, I feel like artifact subtheme is borderline necessary.

I think I've finally settled on a sort of three-sided focus here: Artifacts, Enchantments and Light Mill. I want to get good use out of Aminatou with her blink, but I'm seeing a lot of utility and value focusing on both artifacts and enchantments as a pair. Light mill works to maximize my card advantage and gives me access to my opponents creatures before they can use them, if I run graveyard love.

I don't know. Still having a hard time making the pieces fit in my head.

Aminatou seems pretty weak with a limited card pool imo. Basically any of the other esper options seem stronger to me. You haven't said if you have to actually use Aminatou as your commander or not. I'd lean towards Yennett personally.

Not mandatory that I use Aminatou, and I don't like Yenette's cmc. Too big.

Also, Douglas Adams reference *and* Ayreon cover? @DirkGently, bestill my beating heart.

Quote from Llyth »

Not mandatory that I use Aminatou, and I don't like Yenette's cmc. Too big.

Also, Douglas Adams reference *and* Ayreon cover? @DirkGently, bestill my beating heart.

Well, I think aminatou is going to have a hard time in multiplayer without a lot of build-around. planeswalkers are pretty easy to kill and you don't have as large a selection of board wipes, blinkables, and topdeck-matters as you do building from scratch. Maybe I'm a little over-critical of her but I think you want a commander that synergizes more broadly, to take advantage of more of the good cards rather than forcing in mediocre cards to justify the synergy.

I also think 5 is less than you think. 3 is almost impossible to ramp to, so it's turn 3 at the earliest. 5 cmc means you can run a bunch of 3 cmc rocks and get there turn 4 reliably.

But if you really want low cmc, I'd take sydri over aminatou. There are 200 artifacts in commander sets apparently, and you can run most of them. She's also a lot better politically since she threatens bad trades, rather than encouraging attacks like aminatou. And without mycosynth lattice she generates less hate.

Could also go oloro - high cmc, but he does stuff without getting cast. Lifegain synergy is a bit sparse, though.

And yeah, there's a couple Ayreonauts around fav album?

Well, I think aminatou is going to have a hard time in multiplayer without a lot of build-around.

Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of. A couple of test runs in, though, and she seems to serve her purpose. She's more of a support than the main event. We'll see how she fairs at the table today.

I also think 5 is less than you think.

You're probably right. I have to get out of my straight-aggro mindset of small and fast beats slow and steady. In last night's test run I was getting my 4 to 6-drops out fast enough to not be irrelevant. So that's encouraging.

But if you really want low cmc, I'd take sydri over aminatou.

Y'know, I was thinking that. Today's really going to decide what direction I go with this thing, seeing it in action. I still have this little worm in my brain about running an artifact/enchantment/mill, and Sydri plays into that better.

And yeah, there's a couple Ayreonauts around Grin fav album?

Man, I came in on "Human Equation", so it's always gonna rank as my favorite. "Actual Fantasy" pulls a really close second though.

Yeeeah. Definitely switching to Sydri for now. the deck was fun, but it didn't do quite what I need it to. I'm not looking for a 4 turn win generator, but I want something that feels like it's at least moving.

Quote from Llyth »

Yeeeah. Definitely switching to Sydri for now. the deck was fun, but it didn't do quite what I need it to. I'm not looking for a 4 turn win generator, but I want something that feels like it's at least moving.

I'll be curious to see how it goes, since if I were to do Esper Artifacts I'd probably take Sharuum the Hegemon. You aren't going to get to go infinite either way, but almost all of Sydri's best tricks are off limits...

- Triskelion, Blasting Station, Walking Ballista, and Caltrops have never appeared in a Commander deck before, so no putting that Deathtouch to unfair use :(.

- Sydri is capable of doing all the same infinite mana tricks that Karn, Silver Golem is, and you do have some "add 3" mana rocks available even if you don't have the most powerful ones...except that those comboes also rely on Voltaic Construct and less commonly Dross Scorpion, also off-limits.

- In terms of classic Esper artifact comboes, you only have half of the Sword of the Meek + Thopter Foundry and Thopter Assembly + Time Sieve comboes, so that won't work.

- If you were hoping to just "play fair" and beat down with animated lifelinking machines, that will be a whole lot harder to do without Tempered Steel, Magister Sphinx, Traxos, Scourge of Kroog, Steel Overseer, Akroma's Memorial, and Darksteel Forge.

So in terms of actually exploiting Sydri for fun and profit, you pretty much just have Staff of Nin, Liquimetal Coating, and Acorn Catapult which ain't nothing but is a lot less. Meanwhile, Sharuum can't instant infinite off with Sculpting Steel or Phyrexian Metamorph, but you'd still have a fine reanimator-y artifact deck.