I recently finished my first commander deck, and want to work on getting another one built so I have some choices to play with, but am having trouble deciding between four different commanders. As it stands the four I am interested in building are:
I really like the possibilities I could do with each one, and Jenara is a very wide open build, but I am still not sure what exactly I would want to do. Any thoughts or ideas about builds for each could be very helpful.
I concur that D&T could use it as a 1 of for late game fuel. Particularly those in Mono-White because they are the most likely to run 4 Ghost Quarter and Tectonic Edge at bare minimum. In my build, I am also running Blinkmoth Nexus as a 4 of which helps even more.
Coldsteel Heart might prove to be a good mana rock in this deck as it can shore up what you need for mana. Upwelling may be good too, as you may need to save your mana for later.
I think if Protection was such a big issue, there would be a great outcry to do something about the ability. The fact that there is no such outcry means that the player base in general is fine with it the way it is, and acknowledges how powerful it is as an ability. There are a grand total of 5 cards in standard right now that grant or intrinsically have any sort of protection, which is a drastic downscaling from many previous sets. There were only 7 cards that granted or had any sort in Theros block.
Using Shroud to Hexproof is not a great example to begin with because if a creature had shroud, it has to have some other real bonus to play it in order for it to really see any use. Nimble Mongoose is perhaps the shroud creature that sees the most play whatsoever. Hexproof is by a long shot a more dangerous ability since its controller can buff or equip the creature and the opposing player can do nothing outside of sweeper effects, wraths, or edicts.
There is no case for protection being that complicated. As has been stated above, the stack and phases are more complicated in the ways with which they can be interacted. Protection is very cut and dry. Not everything in a game has to be designed so that every individual can understand why things work the way they do. What is intuitive to one person may not be to the next, so that is very subjective.
One way to ensuring that their creatures are tapped down is Aboshan, Cephalid Emperor. You could also do this reliably often too. You could use your other spells to hit the fliers.
I know that there is a bit of desire for a trip to Muraganda. I think that would be quite cool.
As for storylines, I would like to see on one of the neo-walkers outright die. Gideon is actually a very good candidate for this since his storyline is very much in the line of a Greek Tragedy.
You could use Triad of Fates as a very political commander.
I haven't seen Traid of Fates used anywhere. How good are they as a commander?
It requires some set up. You usually don't cast it till you have at least some protection for her. I go the token + enters-battlefield route with her, such as with Angel of Despair and Bitterblossom.
Yeah, she requires a bit of set-up, and is not one of the more intrinsically powerful commanders. You would utilize cards like Strionic Resonator and Illusionist's Bracers to really get to abusing your commanders abilities. Another card I really like with her is Mangara of Corondor, as he functions very much like Nevinyrral's Disk and can be a great alternative way to eliminate your opponents stuff without giving them cards. Magus of the Disk is also a fun card to run with these sort of effects.
Magic is a game that runs very deep, therefore you have 20+ years of solutions in cards and mechanics in order to deal with protection or any other mechanic with which you may have an issue. If you have issues with it, you can read up on the ruling and then look back for cards that approach it from another angle than the most obvious. That is the beauty of having a game with such a deep history.
Jenara, Asura of War
Triad of Fates
Alesha, Who Smiles at Death
Nahiri, The Lithomancer
I really like the possibilities I could do with each one, and Jenara is a very wide open build, but I am still not sure what exactly I would want to do. Any thoughts or ideas about builds for each could be very helpful.
I know right. I was at a loss for words when I pulled it. The Kalitas is actually a really good pull in my opinion too.
Using Shroud to Hexproof is not a great example to begin with because if a creature had shroud, it has to have some other real bonus to play it in order for it to really see any use. Nimble Mongoose is perhaps the shroud creature that sees the most play whatsoever. Hexproof is by a long shot a more dangerous ability since its controller can buff or equip the creature and the opposing player can do nothing outside of sweeper effects, wraths, or edicts.
There is no case for protection being that complicated. As has been stated above, the stack and phases are more complicated in the ways with which they can be interacted. Protection is very cut and dry. Not everything in a game has to be designed so that every individual can understand why things work the way they do. What is intuitive to one person may not be to the next, so that is very subjective.
As for storylines, I would like to see on one of the neo-walkers outright die. Gideon is actually a very good candidate for this since his storyline is very much in the line of a Greek Tragedy.
3x Eldrazi Displacer
4x Flickerwisp
2x Hero of Bladehold
2x Kytheon, Hero of Akros
1x Mangara of Corondor
2x Phyrexian Revoker
3x Serra Avenger
2x Spellskite
3x Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
2x Vryn Wingmare
4x Path to Exile
Artifacts
4x AEther Vial
1x Sword of Fire and Ice
1x Sword of Light and Shadow
Land
4x Blinkmoth Nexus
4x Ghost Quarter
10x Plains
1x Sea Gate Wreckage
4x Tectonic Edge
1x Celestial Purge
1x Disenchant
1x Kataki, War's Wage
2x Leyline of Sanctity
2x Mark of Asylum
2x Painter's Servant
2x Rest in Peace
2x Stony Silence
2x Worship
I like the idea of using Blinkmoth Nexus as it does have flying, which is a boon.
Yeah, she requires a bit of set-up, and is not one of the more intrinsically powerful commanders. You would utilize cards like Strionic Resonator and Illusionist's Bracers to really get to abusing your commanders abilities. Another card I really like with her is Mangara of Corondor, as he functions very much like Nevinyrral's Disk and can be a great alternative way to eliminate your opponents stuff without giving them cards. Magus of the Disk is also a fun card to run with these sort of effects.