The Honorific

Thanks to Fuz and Jason, I was able to get in multiple Commander games and I made just a few final tweaks. The last tweaks are always the hardest: those razor thin shavings I'm trying to hone in order to give me the best possible chance.

It was the matchup I had against Jason's Kaalia deck that convinced me I needed a little more anti-air support. I don't know that this matchup is a winnable one for me, period: Kaalia is fast and is easily able to drop out overpowered creatures quickly. One of the cornerstones was Gisela, Blade of Goldnight, no question. Flying, one-sided Furnace of Rath is one way to close out games quickly.

So I made the decision to cut Sol Ring. That feels transgressive because every deck WotC has ever sold for the Commander format comes with Sol Ring. It's practically the Giant Spider of Commander.

But Soul of Zendikar can block fliers and create a whole lot of threats. That card won't be left unchecked, of course, but since it has Reach and feeds into the beast subtheme, I couldn't pass it up. Sol Ring isn't going to help me on turn 7. Soul of Zendikar will.

Finally, I cut the Rakeclaw Gargantuan. First strike is a really good ability if you have small creatures or ones with deathtouch. But I am going the trample and big creature route so Garruk, Primal Hunter makes more sense.

I managed to play against Caitlin and Matt last night and they were running Nahiri and Ob Nixilis, respectively. I was able to hang with these decks, winning one game and doing at least respectably in the second. Being able to take on decks with Planeswalkers as commanders feels like a good sign so I think I can leave Gahiji for now and take on someone else.

Final decklist:

1 War Cadence 1 Fires of Yavimaya 1 Where Ancients Tread 1 Warstorm Surge 1 Spawning Grounds 1 Primal Rage 1 Fervor 1 Mayael's Aria 1 Sight of the Scalelords	1 Hull Breach 1 Cultivate 1 Harmonize 1 Wrath of God 1 Rain of Thorns 1 Savage Twister 1 From the Ashes 1 Tempt with Discovery 1 Explosive Vegetation 1 Mob Rule 1 Rampant Growth 1 Shamanic Revelation
1 Boros Charm 1 Naya Charm 1 Slice in Twain 1 Street Spasm 1 Starstorm 1Windstorm	1 Swiftfoot Boots 1 Druidic Satchel 1 Behemoth Sledge (Planeswalker) 1 Sarkhan Vol 1 Ajani Steadfast 1 Garruk, Primal Hunter
1 Boros Garrison 1 Boros Guildgate 1 Command Tower 1 Contested Cliffs 1 Drifting Meadow 1 Evolving Wilds 1 Gruul Guildgate 1 Homeward Path 1 Jungle Shrine 1 Khalni Garden 1 New Benalia 1 Secluded Steppe 1 Selesnya Guildgate 1 Selesnya Sanctuary 1 Slippery Karst 1 Smoldering Crater 1 Temple of the False God 1 Tranquil Thicket 1 Vitu-Ghazi, the City-Tree 1 Vivid Crag 5 Mountain 8 Forest 4 Plains 1 Forgotten Cave 1 Mosswort Bridge 1 Naya Panorama 1 Opal Palace 1 Gruul Turf	1 Krosan Warchief 1Weathered Wayfarer 1 Blazing Archon 1 Wickerbough Elder 1 Tilling Treefold 1 Drumhunter 1 Mold Shambler 1 Ravenous Baloth 1 Spellbreaker Behemoth 1 Deadwood Treefolk 1 Crater Hellion 1 Rampaging Baloths 1 Valley Rannet 1 Avenger of Zendikar 1 Krosan Tusker 1 Eternal Dragon 1 Soul of Zendikar 1 Druid of the Anima 1 Archangel of Tithes 1 Spearbreaker Behemoth 1 Paleoloth 1 Vengeful Archon 1 Atarka Pummeler 1 Indirik Stomphowler 1 Enlisted Wurm 1 Laccolith Titan 1 Mossbridge Troll