Rx Constructed #2 - Competitive Commander?

Hello again my friends! It’s been quite a while since my first edition of Rx Constructed and I apologize. Since then, my life has evolved rather drastically and I’ve been having some troubles handling the speed of its change. After a couple of years of adjusting to the new life style, I’m finally back on my feet and ready to start enjoying some free time again. What a time too! Ravnica is returning and [card]Ponder[/card] is rotating…

YAY!!!

Recently, other than Mtgo M13 drafts and FNMing with Steve Tomik at Untouchables every week, I’ve been paying more attention to the increasingly popular Commander format. I still remember all the multiplayer games I used to play when I was a noob back when I lived in Vancouver. I used to rock the Timmy All-Star, [card]Elvish Piper[/card] into Fatties deck. Eventually, after I started playing competitive Magic, I forgot how much fun it was to just play whatever I wanted, and have fun and some success doing it.

Sometime earlier in August of this year, I was about to do a draft on Mtgo when I remembered about the multiplayer Commander events Untouchables run every Monday. At FNM, I always borrow someone else’s Commander deck and always have a blast, but I wanted to build one of my own because I kept getting ganged up on and the deck I was borrowing wasn’t good enough to handle the pressure. I wanted to have something I could take on 3-4 people with but have the freedom to take it to other stores, erasing the need to borrow a deck to have some good old multiplayer fun.

So I went to my Mtgo Deck Editor and researched all of the legal Commanders. The first one that sparked some interest was [card]Maelstrom Wanderer[/card]. After seeing the colours my mind went nuts with combo possibilities. Not wanting to jump the gun, I kept researching. Next was Numot, which also had great colours for combo but had White over Green, which gave access to [card]Stoneforge Mystic[/card] and other powerful effects. I kept looking but the UWR combination was really where I felt like being.

Next I looked at all the other UWR Legends but none even come close to how Devastating Numot could be. One activation and that opponent is probably too far behind to remain a real concern going long. Leaving fewer players to worry about sounded like a good plan to me, Numot it was!

Next I filtered the search engine to only show UWR cards. After about an hour of searching, I had my first draft of my Control/Combo Commander deck and felt really good about it. Next FNM I came to battle with my proxied Commander deck to test before I started investing.

Players at Untouchables, thank you all again for allowing that. It really allowed me to grasp what didn’t work so I could get a clearer idea as to what the deck was trying to accomplish. You’re all awesome!

After a bunch of games, a few cuts and a ton of gold fishing, I have finally come to a 99 I feel that is very tight and tuned. Behold:

[cardlist title=Noah Long’s Numot Commander Deck]
[Commander]
Numot, the Devastator
[/Commander]
[Artifacts]
Azorius Signet
Boros Signet
Coalition Relic
Crucible of Worlds
Izzet Signet
Lightning Greaves
Mana Crypt
Mana Vault
Mimic Vat
Sensei’s Divining Top
Sol Ring
Sunforger
Sword of Feast and Famine
[/Artifacts]
[Artifact Creatures]
Phyrexian Metamorph
Solemn Simulacrum
[/Artifact Creatures]
[Creatures]
Academy Rector
Body Double
Deceiver Exarch
Gilded Drake
Karmic Guide
Mother of Ruins
Mulldrifter
Pestermite
Phantasmal Image
Restoration Angel
Reveillark
Serra Ascendant
Snapcaster Mage
Stoneforge Mystic
Stonehewer Giant
Sun Titan
Trinket Mage
Vesuvan Shapeshifter
Zealous Conscripts
[/Creatures]
[Sorceries]
Blatant Theivery
Bribery
Steelshaper’s Gift
[/Sorceries]
[Instants]
Arcane Denial
Brainstorm
Cryptic Command
Desertion
Dismantling Blow
Enlightened Tutor
Exclude
Fact or Fiction
Mana Drain
Momentary Blink
Prophetic Bolt
Remand
Repulse
Return to Dust
Suffocating Blast
Wild Ricochet
[/Instants]
[Legendary Creatures]
Godo, Bandit Warlord
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
[/Legendary Creatures]
[Enchantments]
Copy Artifact
Decree of Silence
Luminarch Ascension
Splinter Twin
Treachery
Wild Research
[/Enchantments]
[Planeswalker]
Tezzeret the Seeker
[/PLaneswalker]
[Basic Lands]
2 Island
2 Mountain
2 Plains
1 Snow-Covered Island
[/Basic Lands]
[Non-Basic Lands]
Academy Ruins
Arid Mesa
Azorius Chancery
Bloodstained Mire
Boros Garrison
Cascade Bluffs
Cavern of Souls
Command Tower
Flooded Strand
Hallowed Fountain
Homeward Path
Izzet Boilerworks
Marsh Flats
Misty Rainforest
Mystic Gate
Plateau
Polluted Delta
Reflecting Pool
Rugged Prairie
Sacred Foundry
Scalding Tarn
Seat of the Synod
Steam Vents
Strip Mine
Tundra
Vesuva
Volcanic Island
Wasteland
Windswept Heath
Wooded Foothills
[/Non-Basic Lands]
[/cardlist]

This deck is one big web of lines of play, which all lead to 3 primary game plans: [card]Sunforger[/card], [card]Wild Research[/card] Control or [card]Splinter Twin[/card] Combo. There are also other fun things this deck can do but I’ll note those at the end. Let’s focus on the big guns for just a second.

Plan A) Sunforger

[card]Sunforger[/card] is the stone cold nuts in this deck and is the line to victory I usually try to accomplish first. I usually go this route primarily for 2 reasons; 1) it’s the easiest to find and 2) if [card]Sunforger[/card] is ever dealt with, as long as it’s still equipped, you can just tutor up [card]Enlightened Tutor[/card] and find plans B or C: [card]Wild Research[/card] or [card]Splinter Twin[/card].

To find the namesake equipment, I’ve included the assistance of [card]Stoneforge Mystic[/card], [card]Stonehewer Giant[/card], [card]Godo, Bandit Warlord[/card], [card]Steelshaper’s Gift[/card], [card]Enlightend Tutor[/card] and [card]Tezzeret the Seeker[/card]. The cards that [card]Sunforger[/card] can find are [card]Enlightened Tutor[/card], [card]Momentary Blink[/card], [card]Dismantling Blow[/card], [card]Return to Dust[/card], [card]Wild Ricochet[/card] and [card]Suffocating Blast[/card]. The cards in this package mostly attack from different angles and all generate additional card advantage. Given the nature of multiplayer, I didn’t want to include cards that traded 1 for 1 because, well… it’s multiplayer and I can’t keep up unless I am constantly striving to remain ahead of more than just 1 or 2 opponents. In Commander, value is your #1 friend.

Once equipped, [card]Sunforger[/card] usually takes over the game unless killed after the first activation. I have yet to encounter a situation I couldn’t get out of with [card]Sunforger[/card] in play and untouched. I suggest you give it a try because it’s very powerful and most importantly, super fun!

Plan B) Wild Research Control

[card]Wild Research[/card] is very, very good… [card]Wild Research[/card] protects itself with the best selection of multiplayer Instants, fuels the graveyard for creatures like [card]Karmic Guide[/card], [card]Sun Titan[/card], [card]Reveillark[/card], [card]Snapcaster Mage[/card], and [card]Body Double[/card], and has the ability to tutor up [card]Copy Artifact[/card], [card]Treachery[/card], [card]Decree of Silence[/card] and most notably, [card]Splinter Twin[/card] to just kill everyone. To find [card]Wild Research, I’ve included [card]Academy Rector[/card] and the [card]Enlightened Tutor[/card]/[card]Sunforger[/card] package stated above. As you can see, most of the cards in this deck all mesh with each other and can all find each other to assemble which ever win condition it wants given the game state.

If you don’t like the UWR colour pie, another card off the top of my head that is extremely similar to [card]Wild Research[/card] is [card]Survival of the Fittest[/card]. Survival can be built very differently given the General’s colours, but if the General is at least GB, Survival only has to activate twice, putting [card]Triskelion[/card] and [card]Phyrexian Devourer[/card] in the graveyard and [card]Necrotic Ooze[/card] in hand. If Ooze resolves, you can kill everyone even through any number of responses.

If you want to be competitive, I highly suggest an engine like this to be present in your Commander deck and at least a few ways to deal with them. Even though these engines are powerful, the games are multiplayer; players will most likely stop it. If you do not play with counter magic, I highly suggest at least 1-2 graveyard based hate cards that either work well with your deck or at least replace themselves. These cards should also be very accessible. If you find other similar 1 card toolbox engines, please leave them in the comments below. I’d love to hear what you come up with!

Plan C) Splinter Twin Combo

Yes, I play with the infinite, everyone’s dead combo, but when it comes to battling 3+ other players, I’ll take what I can get. Other than killing everyone, this card works well with almost every creature in this deck, and can generate unsurpassable card advantage, which will most likely spell victory anyways. [card]Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker[/card] also accomplishes the same goals as [card]Splinter Twin[/card], but of the 2, can’t be tutored for. On the other hand, Kiki-Jiki is the better of the 2 in this deck. Cards like, [card]Mother of Ruins[/card], [card]Restoration Angel[/card], [card]Momentary Blink[/card], [card]Mimic Vat[/card], [card]Karmic Guide[/card], [card]Body Double[/card] and [card]Reveillark[/card], all either save Kiki, or bring Kiki back from being dealt with. Once [card]Splinter Twin[/card] is gone, it’s gone.

The rest of the deck is pure value or insane by itself. As far as value goes, all the counter magic does more than just ‘counter target spell’, blue offers the best selection of card advantage like [card]Fact or Fiction[/card], and most of the creatures all have very strong CITP abilities. A couple examples of being insane by itself: [card]Serra Ascendant[/card] and [card]Luminarch Ascension[/card] have both been very impressive so far. Starting at 40 life means the 1CC dork is actually upsized immediately into a 1CC Lifelink Dragon, and Ascension is usually active after you untap the very next turn, giving you an army of 4/4 fliers starting on turn 3.

Lastly, I’d also like to mention that [card]Tezzeret the Seeker[/card] is by far the best Planeswalker in Commander. Being able to have such a varied selection of amazing artifacts almost makes it feel too good. As long as your general has blue in its cost, Tezzeret should be in your deck and you should have these artifacts as well: [card]Sword of Feast and Famine[/card], [card]Lightning Greaves[/card], [card]Phyrexian Metamorph[/card], [card]Crucible of Worlds[/card], [card]Mimic Vat[/card], [card]Sensei’s Divining Top[/card] and [card]Sol Ring[/card]/[card]Mana Crypt[/card]/[card]Mana Vault[/card], depending on your hand. All of these artifacts are amazing alone, but with Tezzeret, it’s like having 2 copies of them all. Plus, being able to untap artifacts like [card]Sol Ring[/card]/[card]Mana Crypt[/card]/[card]Mana Vault[/card], you can generate an incredible mana pool which can really send you over the top regardless of the number of opponents you’re playing against.

Play him, he’s soooo gooood!!!

I know Commander is mainly for casual players and judges, but it can also easily become an actual constructed multiplayer format eventually. It is much cheaper than Legacy after all… Just thought I’d give my 2 cents to try and get the ball rolling.

Steve Tomik and I at DeckedOut Games are still planning our event schedule for the rest of the 2013 year. We are both really getting into Commander and are highly considering including Commander to be part of our schedule down the road. Let’s just hope Return to Ravnica brings some shiny new toys so people get more into playing 100 card singleton decks. Commander is a ton of fun, and I highly recommend you do some research into building not just a deck, but a machine that can handle 3+ players, all at once…

P-P-P-P-P-POOWWWEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Before I go, I just wanted to show you all a little something I’ve been working on for the new Standard format:

[deck title=BG Zombies by Noah Long]
[Creatures]
4 Diregraf Ghoul
4 Gravecrawler
4 Lotleth Troll
4 Dreg Mangler
4 Geralf’s Messenger
3 Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Tragic Slip
4 Abrupt Decay
4 Grisly Salvage
2 Liliana of the Veil
1 Vraska the Unseen
[/Spells]
[Lands]
6 Swamp
4 Woodland Cemetery
4 Overgrown Tomb
4 Golgari Guildgate
4 Cavern of Souls
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
4 Duress
4 Thragtusk
3 Barter in Blood
2 Liliana of the Veil
2 Vraska the Unseen
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

This is just a first draft, but we all know that Zombies were quite good before Ravnica. In a brand new format, I always try to stay proactively aggressive. So, with all of the new friends for [card]Gravecrawler[/card] and Messenger to play with, GB Zombies, so far, is the way I’d go at the moment. I’ll be back next time to touch up on this deck once the whole spoiler is out, as well as other ideas that show some potential.

Happy Brewing, and may all the Golgari pre-release players crush, crush, crush!

Noah Long, Team Manadeprived
Co-Founder of DeckedOut Games