Commander

Weapon of Choice: Touch the Face of God

I’m not sure how many of you were playing Commander during the release of Alara block, but if you were, you probably remember the splash it made in the format. By the time Alara Reborn was released, there were ten new – very viable – options for three-colour decks.

To this day, some of the names from that block still strike fear into the hearts of players. [card]Sharuum the Hegemon[/card], Uril the Mist Stalker, [card]Rafiq of the Many[/card], and [card]Thraximundar[/card] are all still powerful and intimidating Commanders, even six years after their release.

Since then, most of the heavy-hitters of the format have been released with the supplemental Commander products. Every once in a while, a big name will loom out of a Standard-legal set – Omnath, Grimgrin, Aurelia – but there hasn’ t been a block that hit as hard as Alara – until Theros.

God Mode

Ever since the first five gods were released in Theros, it was obvious that they would make an incredible impact on Commander. Sure enough, all fifteen see play both at the head of decks and in the 99.

Theros has just recently left Standard to make room for Battle for Zendikar, and I figured it would be a good time to spotlight the biggest cycle of creatures to hit Commander since 2009.

Theros

Heliod, God of the Sun – In the 99

HeliodGodOfTheSun

As a mono-white Commander, Heliod leaves a lot to be desired. Creatures like [card]Odric, Master Tactician[/card] and [card]Akroma, Angel of Wrath[/card] are better on the offense, while Avacyn, Archangel of Hope and [card]Eight-and-a-Half-Tails[/card] are better on the defense. However, within a creature-based deck, he can provide an excellent combat buff and help you recover in the wake of a sweeper. He may look like a fancier, more mana-intensive version of [card]Mobilization[/card], but he is also an indestructible threat that can attack for 5 when needed. Decks playing soldiers probably still want [card]Mobilization[/card], decks playing a more generalized creature strategy would do well to grab Heliod.

Thassa, God of the Sea – In the 99

ThassaGodOfTheSea

Thassa is a fine Commander, but she really shines when she is fulfilling the whims of a more dangerous leader. Her ability to ignore blockers is deadly in the hands of someone like [card]Rafiq of the Many[/card] who is looking to connect for as much damage as possible as soon as possible. Her Scrying on your upkeep lends consistency to combo Commanders that want to be drawing the right stuff when they need it – [card]Azami, Lady of Scrolls[/card] – for example.

Erebos, God of the Dead – As a Commander

ErebosGodOfTheDead

Those of you that have played mono-black in Commander know that the ability to trade life for cards is a powerful asset. Erebos lets you access this ability whenever you need it most. Today’s first decklist uses the steady stream of cards provided by Erebos to fuel a powerful Control deck:

Journey’s End – Ben F

[deck]
[Commander]
1 Erebos, God of the Dead
[/Commander]
[Lands]
1 Ancient Tomb
1 Arcane Lighthouse
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Cabal Coffers
1 Deserted Temple
1 Eye of Ugin
1 High Market
1 Maze of Ith
1 Miren, the Moaning Well
1 Myriad Landscape
1 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
1 Petrified Field
1 Phyrexian Tower
1 Reliquary Tower
19 Swamp
1 Thespian’s Stage
1 Tower of the Magistrate
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Vesuva
1 Volrath’s Stronghold
[/Lands]
[Spells]
1 All Is Dust
1 Animate Dead
1 Barter in Blood
1 Batterskull
1 Beacon of Unrest
1 Black Sun’s Zenith
1 Chromatic Lantern
1 Commander’s Sphere
1 Damnation
1 Decree of Pain
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Diabolic Revelation
1 Exsanguinate
1 Go for the Throat
1 Hero’s Downfall
1 Increasing Ambition
1 Karn Liberated
1 Liliana of the Dark Realms
1 Mimic Vat
1 Mind Stone
1 Murderous Cut
1 Mutilate
1 Necromancy
1 Oblivion Stone
1 Palace Siege
1 Phyrexian Arena
1 Profane Command
1 Promise of Power
1 Sever the Bloodline
1 Silence the Believers
1 Sudden Spoiling
1 Thran Dynamo
1 Toxic Deluge
1 Trading Post
1 Tribute to Hunger
1 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon
1 Underworld Connections
1 Whip of Erebos
1 Yawgmoth’s Will
[/Spells]
[Creatures]
1 Avatar of Woe
1 Bloodgift Demon
1 Burnished Hart
1 Crypt Ghast
1 Disciple of Bolas
1 Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief
1 Grave Titan
1 Gray Merchant of Asphodel
1 Kokusho, the Evening Star
1 Kozilek, Butcher of Truth
1 Massacre Wurm
1 Mikaeus, the Unhallowed
1 Overseer of the Damned
1 Puppeteer Clique
1 Rune-Scarred Demon
1 Sepulchral Primordial
1 Sheoldred, Whispering One
1 Sidisi, Undead Vizier
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Steel Hellkite
1 Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre
1 Visara the Dreadful
[/Creatures]
[/deck]

Ben’s deck is a pretty typical mono-black Control deck with a strong colourless component used to fill some of the deck’s holes. Erebos lets him keep his hand full of answers while drawing into threats. In the event that things start to look dicey for him, he can use [card]Gray Merchant of Asphodel[/card], [card]Whip of Erebos[/card], or [card]Exsanguinate[/card] to refuel. Erebos can fill the spot taken by Greed in many 99s, but if you are looking to build a mono-black list, he is one of the most consistently powerful options available.

Purphoros, God of the Forge – Wherever You Damn Well Please

PurphorosGodOfTheForge

Oh man – Purphoros is abjectly terrifying in whatever role he is playing in a given deck. In the 99 he is a powerful win condition for the decks that want him; as a Commander – when played alongside the likes of [card]Siege-Gang Commander[/card], [card]Chancellor of the Forge[/card], and [card]Tempt with Vengeance[/card] – he becomes a top-tier threat. Since the downfall of tucking as a solution to problematic Commanders, Purphoros has become an even more powerful option for anyone wanting to play mono-red.

Nylea, God of the Hunt – As a Commander

NyleaGodOfTheHunt

Nylea has a lot in common with Heliod in terms of how playable they both are. Each of them provides a combat keyword to your creatures and each of them has an activated ability that is moderately useful. The difference is that Nylea’s keyword is a win condition. Trample is a much more powerful ability for a big, smashy green deck than vigilance is for an aggressive, scrappy white deck. If you are going the route of ramp into [card]Tooth and Nail[/card] or [card]Genesis Wave[/card], having Nylea on the field can mean that you can connect for lethal whether you have access to [card]Craterhoof Behemoth[/card] or not. She’s still a lackluster Commander for mono-green, but she is kinda lackluster in general. So, y’know.

Born of the Gods

Ephara, God of the Polis – In the 99

EpharaGodOfThePolis

Ephara can be a really cool Commander if you’re looking for one that encourages you do some neat things with cards like [card]Flickerwisp[/card] and [card]Conjurer’s Closet[/card] and [card]Mulldrifter[/card]. She provides an option for shenanigans that is a little less cutthroat than some of the more infamous Commanders out there. Speaking of infamous Commanders, if you want to see Ephara at her worst, put her in a list under [card]Roon of the Hidden Realm[/card]. When she’s working with her favourite rhino, she becomes a draw engine that can fuel a powerful and annoying deck.

Phenax, God of Deception – As a Commander

PhenaxGodOfDeception

Phenax only really gets work done as a Commander, but he can be a really cool Commander:

A Bitter Mill to Swallow – Allan S

[deck]
[Cpmmander]
1 Phenax, God of Deception
[/Commander]
[Lands]
1 Command Tower
1 Dimir Guildgate
1 Evolving Wilds
14 Island
1 Reliquary Tower
1 Remote Isle
1 Salt Marsh
1 Saprazzan Cove
1 Shimmering Grotto
9 Swamp
1 Temple of the False God
1 Watery Grave
[/Lands]
[Spells]
1 Archive Trap
1 Blessed Reincarnation
1 Bonehoard
1 Brain Freeze
1 Corpseweft
1 Crypt Incursion
1 Darksteel Ingot
1 Diabolic Tutor
1 Dictate of Kruphix
1 Grafdigger’s Cage
1 Grisly Spectacle
1 Hedonist’s Trove
1 Increasing Confusion
1 Jace, Memory Adept
1 Keening Stone
1 Leyline of the Void
1 Liliana of the Dark Realms
1 Liliana Vess
1 Mind Funeral
1 Mind Grind
1 Mind Sculpt
1 Mindcrank
1 Nihil Spellbomb
1 Palace Siege
1 Psychic Surgery
1 Rhystic Study
1 Sands of Delirium
1 Sol Ring
1 Sphinx’s Tutelage
1 Tome Scour
1 Traumatize
1 Victimize
[/Spells]
[Creatures]
1 Agent of Erebos
1 Clinging Anemones
1 Colossus of Akros
1 Consuming Aberration
1 Doorkeeper
1 Duskmantle Guildmage
1 Fog Bank
1 Geralf’s Mindcrusher
1 Guard Gomazoa
1 Guardian of the Ages
1 Guardians of Meletis
1 Hedron Crab
1 Hover Barrier
1 Jace’s Phantasm
1 Kaijin of the Vanishing Touch
1 Kraken Hatchling
1 Ludevic’s Test Subject
1 Mirko Vosk, Mind Drinker
1 Mistform Wall
1 Murmuring Phantasm
1 Myr Battlesphere
1 Nezumi Graverobber
1 Oona, Queen of the Fae
1 Returned Phalanx
1 Sage’s Row Denizen
1 Sigiled Starfish
1 Spellskite
1 Stratus Dancer
1 Thunder Wall
1 Tidal Force
1 Vampire Nighthawk
1 Vortex Elemental
1 Wall of Frost
1 Wight of Precinct Six
[/Creatures]
[/deck]

Lazav, Szadek, and Mirko Vosk have all tried to make mill a viable win condition in Commander – Phenax has succeeded where they all failed. Allan’s deck above plays totally innocuous walls – counting on you to need to deal with your other opponents’ Blightsteel Colossi and Butchers of Truth – but then out comes Phenax and you dump half of your library into your graveyard. Suddenly you are one [card]Keening Stone[/card] activation away from dying on your draw step. More obnoxious Phenax lists will run [card]Eater of the Dead[/card] as a one-card combo or [card]Umbral Mantle[/card] as a win condition with the Commander, but Allan eschews those options in favour of fun – which is something I can respect.

Mogis, God of Slaughter – As a Commander

MogisGodOfSlaughter

Mogis can fit in the 99 of Commanders like [card]Nekusar, the Mindrazer[/card] or [card]Kaervek the Merciless[/card], but the God of Slaughter does a pretty good job of standing on his own. Mogis makes an excellent Commander for decks that aim to hate everyone. It can be very hard for opponents to set up their boards if Mogis hits the table early, and even though he is dealing damage in tiny increments, it can add up fast – especially since indestructible gods are so tough to remove.

Xenagos, God of Revels – As a Commander

XenagosGodOfRevels

Xenagos has emerged as one of the premier Commanders for the green/red beatdown deck. His ability to launch your most powerful creature at the enemy with twice its normal power has proven to be one of the best ways to ensure your opponents get dead fast. It is especially nice when it can grant haste to a [card]Primordial Hydra[/card] you cast for 10 in the wee hours of the game. The fact is, there are just so many appealing creatures in Xenagos’ colours, that it would be very hard for him to not be a powerful option to lead your deck.

Karametra, God of the Harvests – As a Commander

KarametraGodOfTheHarvest

I hear a lot of people deriding Karametra’s power as a Commander, which I think is a mistake. She has a powerful ability if you abuse it correctly. Cards like Aluren and [card]Cloudstone Curio[/card] let her abuse it correctly. If you are able to get out something like [card]Wall of Blossoms[/card] or [card]Eternal Witness[/card], you can use Karametra to rip every land out of your deck and fuel something like a monstrous [card]Genesis Wave[/card] or [card]Martial Coup[/card]. An even cooler option would be to use something like [card]Rally the Ancestors[/card] to deliver the combo punch from the grave. Karametra can be a decent ramp outlet in any green/white deck, but I think she has the most interesting potential as a Commander.

Journey Into Nyx

Athreos, God of Passage – As a Commander

AthreosGodOfPassage

Athreos was made to be best friends with [card]Shadowborn Apostle[/card]. There are all kinds of nifty sacrifice synergies across black and white that can be used with the God of Passage, but cleric tribal with Shadowborns is without a doubt the sweetest. [card]Edgewalker[/card] and [card]Rotlung Reanimator[/card] are such cool cards and it is amazing that there is a Commander that finally makes them sing. Yeah, there are probably other decks you can build around Athreos, but they are way less cool.

Keranos, God of Storms – In the 99

KeranosGodOfStorms

Personally, I think that Keranos is a cool addition to decks that feature Commanders like [card]Riku of Two Reflections[/card] and [card]Narset, Enlightened Master[/card]. Using the library manipulation that so many Jeskai and Temur Commanders run to draw extra cards or pick up extra damage seems very sweet. However, the architect of my third decklist for this column disagrees:

Keranos the Copycat – Brad VC

[deck]
[Commander]
1 Keranos, God of Storms
[/Commander]
[Lands]
16 Island
16 Mountain
1 Reliquary Tower
1 Rogue’s Passage
1 Shivan Reef
1 Steam Vents
1 Sulfur Falls
1 Temple of Epiphany
[/Lands]
[Spells]
1 Blasphemous Act
1 Brainstorm
1 Chandra, the Firebrand
1 Clout of the Dominus
1 Counterflux
1 Counterspell
1 Curiosity
1 Curse of Bloodletting
1 Curse of the Swine
1 Cyclonic Rift
1 Day’s Undoing
1 Dissipate
1 Evacuation
1 Explorer’s Scope
1 Fated Infatuation
1 Future Sight
1 Increasing Vengeance
1 Into the Maw of Hell
1 Invoke the Firemind
1 Izzet Charm
1 Mask of Avacyn
1 Master the Way
1 Mirror Sheen
1 Mizzium Mortars
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Propaganda
1 Prowler’s Helm
1 Redirect
1 Reverberate
1 Rhystic Study
1 Seer’s Sundial
1 Sol Ring
1 Spelltwine
1 Stifle
1 Swerve
1 Swiftfoot Boots
1 Teleportal
1 Time Stop
1 Twincast
1 Venser’s Journal
1 Well of Ideas
1 Whispersilk Cloak
1 Wild Ricochet
1 Windfall
1 Aetherspouts
[/Spells]
[Creatures]
1 Anger
1 Arcanis the Omnipotent
1 Charmbreaker Devils
1 Diluvian Primordial
1 Goblin Electromancer
1 Guttersnipe
1 Hypersonic Dragon
1 Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy
1 Lunar Mystic
1 Melek, Izzet Paragon
1 Mercurial Chemister
1 Nin, the Pain Artist
1 Niv-Mizzet, Dracogenius
1 Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind
1 Stormtide Leviathan
1 Thassa, God of the Sea
[/Creatures]
[/deck]

For Brad’s deck, Keranos behaves a lot like Erebos does for Ben. Brad uses Keranos as a nice, reliable source of advantages while he grinds out an advantage over the course of the game. Brad takes a proactive approach, using every opportunity to double his own burn spells or steal the best spells his opponents are casting for himself. When the time comes to strike, he can slip a piece of equipment onto Keranos and clean up through combat damage. While I look at Keranos and see a supporting player, I can pretty easily see how Brad can look at him and see the star of the show.

Pharika, God of Affliction – As a Commander

PharikaGodOfAffliction

At first glance, Pharika probably seems like mediocre graveyard hate and a so-so token generator – outclassed in both of her potential roles by existing cards. However, in multiplayer formats, there is another dimension to her that makes her a little more appealing: politics. Anyone who has played [card]Ophiomancer[/card] knows that a 1/1 with deathtouch can be worth a lot more than it seems. When those lethal 1/1s are available at instant speed, there is a whole new level of gaming going on. When the only hope for the Karador player to survive the attacking Omnath is to rely on a snake from Pharika, they will likely be a little less salty when they lose their [card]Stinkweed Imp[/card] in the process. Like I said, Pharika is outclassed in the pure function by existing cards, but her political implications make her a cool choice of Comander.

Iroas, God of Victory – In the 99

IroasGodOfVictory

Iroas makes a great aggressive, red/white Commander. Aurelia the Warleader and [card]Gisela, Blade of Goldnight[/card] make amazing aggressive, red/white Commanders. Both of the angry angels love to draw Iroas before they start attacking, but both of them outclass him as a commander. Iroas will likely draw a little less ire when he hits the field, so if you’re looking to play Boros, go to combat a lot, but not lose to the whole table stomping you, he can be a nice alternative.

Kruphix, God of Horizons – As a Commander

KruphixGodOfHorizons

Kruphix is the god of filthy shenanigans. He is a mana battery in blue/green, the colours that bring you [card]Turnabout[/card] and [card]High Tide[/card]. [card]Rude Awakening[/card] and [card]Helix Pinnacle[/card]. [card]Genesis Wave[/card] and [card]Blue Sun’s Zenith[/card]. See what I mean? Kruphix takes what are already two of the most powerful colours in Commander and breaks the limits off. He is still powerful in the 99, but why on earth would you want him there when you could have him leading the charge?

Ve Con Dios

With Theros faded from the spotlight, the gods have taken their unmoving places in the heavens. With the unstable landscape of Standard no longer their concern, they will stay locked in their positions at kitchen tables and Commander games around the world.

While they won’t have any devoted fans among those aspiring to the Pro Tour, god knows there will be plenty of prayers uttered when the Purphoros player casts [card]Empty the Warrens[/card].

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