So, How'd It Turn Out?

The pauper Commander event last last Sunday and I decided to go with Hallar in both games.

And...they did not go well!

One issue that I had was a misunderstanding of how Commander damage worked; namely, Hallar's trigger would NOT count as commander damage. So, that kinda sucked-but that one is on me. 

The other is that I underestimated the value engines people would be running; in both games there was a LOT of splash damage or heavily synergistic combos that did not leave a lot of room for me to develop my board. A little lifegain would have gone a long way, I think. But also some more out-of-the-box thinking in the way of disruption could've been good. What, I'm not sure. Because:

I also didn't do enough research, as it turns out. After the event, Rebecca pointed out to me that Moxfield has a Pauper Commander field and I could've used that to get ideas and hone the build. 

Because what I experienced were games where I just played "draw, go" and didn't get to do much of anything. I waited on creatures-maybe longer than I should have-in order to get kicker costs paid, and I kept drawing pump spells-which are nice but only really work if I'm attacking. 

And it wasn't until garbage time in the last game that I had more than two creatures on the table-an event that was fixed by someone's Crypt Rats. (I'm not upset by that-it was a good play).

However, I spent my time really not doing anything in the games and that just feels bad.

Finally, I think I just did not plan for flying creatures well enough. As with many limited formats, flying seems to be a HUGE ability here. In my first game, I was KO'd by an aura'd up 16/16 flying creature. How am I going to remove that at the common level? 

(Hint; Tranquil Path would've been awesome! But I didn't draw it.)

On the other hand: everyone else had a great time! And from what I heard/saw, the games were interesting and engaging. So I think it's just back to the drawing board for me, not: I hate this idea.

And maybe use a little time to do some research for Aryel, before that one gets taken for a ride. 

On the other hand: of the seven decks at the table, five had black. What I hope that means is that we are just trying to find out what works, with plenty of room to explore, and not that the best colors are rooted in black. The latter means that the metagame is already skewed and not as interesting. 

Two Paupers

 We'll start with Aryel, Knight of Windgrace 

Instant 1 Ardenvale Tactician // Dizzying Swoop 1 Raise the Draugr 1 Unmake 1 Rootborn Defenses 1 Demon's Due 1 Acrobatic Maneuver 1 Maximum Overdrive  1 Riot Control  1 Disenchant	Artifacts 1 Commander's Sphere 1 Orzhov Signet 1 Orzhov Cluestone 1 Whispersilk Cloak 1 Cliffhaven Kitesail 1 Tithing Blade
Enchantment 1 Hopeful Vigil 1 Knightly Valor 1 Pestilence	Sorcery 1 Smitten Swordmaster // Curry Favor 1 Call the Cavalry 1 Fell Horseman // Deathly Ride 1 Besotted Knight // Betroth the Beast 1 Return from Extinction 1 Diresight 1 Eriette's Lullaby 1 Risky Shortcut  1 Blood Tithe
Lands 12 Swamp 12 Plains 1 Sunlit Marsh 1 Silverquill Campus 1 The Fair Basilica 1 Path of Ancestry 1 Orzhov Basilica 1 Forsaken Sanctuary 1 Neglected Manor 1 Remote Farm 1 Hidden Necropolis 1 Peat Bog 1 Desert of the Glorified 1 Desert of the True 1 Mortuary Mire 1 Thriving Heath 1 Thriving Moor	Creatures 1 Knight of the New Coalition 1 Order of the Ebon Hand 1 Inspiring Captain 1 Benalish Cavalry 1 Benalish Knight 1 Parhelion Patrol 1 Leonin Skyhunter 1 Order of Leitbur 1 Skyhunter Patrol 1 Sigiled Sentinel 1 Attended Knight 1 Cadaverous Knight 1 Lost Legion 1 Argivian Cavalier 1 Barrow Witches 1 Locthwain Paladin 1 Relief Captain 1 Swordsworn Cavalier 1 Caravan Escort 1 Dauthi Mercenary 1 Ardenvale Paladin 1 Gryff Rider 1 Desperate Farmer 1 Cabal Paladin 1 Knight of Sursi 1 Devout Witness 1 Engine Rat  1 Grasping Thrull  1 Breathless Knight  1 Disciple of the Sun  1 Gravedigger  1 Eldrazi Devastator

Then we'll see what Hallar, the Firefletcher has to offer.

Instant 1 Colossal Growth 1 Falling Timber 1 Might of Murasa 1 Shivan Fire 1 Vines of Vastwood 1 Lifecrafter's Gift 1 Fissure 1 Overload 1 Lightning Bolt  1 Sulfurous Blast	Artifacts 1 Everflowing Chalice 1 Moss Diamond 1 Gruul Cluestone 1 Gruul Signet 1 Bumbleflower's Sharepot 1 Whispersilk Cloak 1 Armory of Iroas 1 Commander's Sphere
Enchantment  1 Bestial Fury	Sorcery 1 Grow from the Ashes 1 Reclaim the Wastes 1 Roil Eruption 1 Savage Offensive 1 Saproling Migration 1 Hull Breach 1 Tranquil Path  1 Elven Cache
Lands 12 Forest 10 Mountain 1 Gruul Turf 1 Racers' Ring 1 Rugged Highlands 1 Evolving Wilds 1 Terramorphic Expanse 1 Looming Spires 1 Sandstone Needle 1 Teetering Peaks 1 The Autonomous Furnace 1 Smoldering Crater 1 Hickory Woodlot 1 Khalni Garden 1 Slippery Karst 1 The Hunter Maze  1 Desert of the Fervent  1 Desert of the Indomitable	Creatures 1 Baloth Gorger 1 Gnarlid Colony 1 Gnarlid Pack 1 Goblin Bushwhacker 1 Krosan Druid 1 Mold Shambler 1 Oran-Rief Recluse 1 Skitter of Lizards 1 Torch Slinger 1 Viashino Branchrider 1 Longshot Squad 1 Citanul Woodreaders 1 Deepwood Denizen 1 Elvish Visionary 1 Generous Stray 1 Keldon Raider 1 Llanowar Visionary 1 Sarulf's Packmate 1 Seismic Monstrosaur 1 Yavimaya Elder 1 Bramble Wurm 1 Cactarantula 1 Hand of Emrakul 1 Krosan Tusker 1 Oliphaunt 1 Nacatl Outlander 1 Mountain Yeti 1 Wickerbough Elder 1 Aquastrand Spider  1 Panicked Altisaur  1 Pheres-Band Tromper  1 Spitfire Lagac  1 Anarchist  1 Zhur-Taa Druid

I've been testing these decks with Rebecca and Noah and they both have performed well! I'm not sure what might be the best of them, though I usually have a soft spot for RG decks, Aryel has been quite good-evasion, removal, good creature type to support. 

Maybe I'll get the chance to play both!

Pauper Commander Selection

Some friends of mine are getting together to do a pauper Commander day and I've been trying to pick a good Commander.

My current creatures under consideration are: 

Hallar, the Firefletcher 

Aryel, Knight of Windgrace

Eron, the Relentless 

Now, clearly one of these is not like the other. Of the Commanders, I think Hallar might be the strongest one, since it has an ability that pings all opponents, and +1 counters are pretty easy to add in Green. The plan is to do multiplayer games, so I'm encouraged to build my deck knowing that. 

Arvel might have the most synergy though: knights are very easy to produce in those colors and the removal suite is probably excellent. I feel as though this Commander would offer me a lot of resilience, and a typal theme is pretty easy to execute on.

Eron though...well, yeah it's not a great card but wouldn't playing a bunch of hasty red creatures be amusing? It's also so old school that I can't help but appreciate it and I could even go full scoundrel with Chandler and Joven.  

Note to future self; Do not do that.

As it turns out, I'd also misunderstood the assignment a little. I had thought that your Commander had to be an uncommon Legend-there are 380, so plenty of choices! But Matt pointed out that the Commander could be any uncommon creature. Which is WILD, as there are 4,999 of those. And that number seems small. 

Still, I'm sticking to my guns on this one.

Commander Tier List

 In case you haven't seen it, they've put identifiable tiers for Commander decks. 

It's a lengthy article but I do like the direction this is going in. Even though I'm a dabbler in Commander at best, I am glad they are taking the stewardship of the format seriously. 

Land Drops

How much mana do you need to play a deck successfully? 

This video does a fantastic job illustrating what the math says, and it's not very long. Kudos to them! 

The bigger picture for me is this: how do I re-evaluate the mana bases for my decks? If the number for midrange is 24-25, WHOA. That feels like it puts a crimp on things but the math is the math. So I need to consider how I'm going to make decks work with this new knowledge. 

I'm definitely interested in how to play it out!

It Was Only A Matter Of Time

Anyone who has a sense of the history of things would tell you that Commander being a format that was shepherded by the community was never going to last. At the very least, Hasbro was never going to allow the most popular format to be managed by people who (ostensibly) had the players' best interests at the foremost, instead of the company's. Sooner or later, the corporation was going to take it away from the players.

And now it is done. It happened for the most epically shitty reasons I can think of-the "community" freaking out to the point of sending threats to the Rules Committee. That was never OK, it isn't OK and I don't want people who react like that to be part of my game. 

I also think this bodes ill for the format at large. WotC had a shield from their design mistakes by having the community police the format, and the existence of the Rules Committee meant that the community had a real voice in how that format played out. That's all gone now and I don't think things are going to be the same.

It'll start off slow, of course. These things always do. But eventually Commander will change in ways that are going to surprise the community and I don't think it'll be in a good way. However, if it means that the people making decisions are shielded from the absolute bullshit of community members who think death threats are a good thing regarding a card game then fine. 

Y'all made your bed. Sleep in it.

Commander Tune Up: Kaalia of the Vast

Instant 1 Wrecking Ball 1 Mortify 1 Terminate 1 Master Warcraft 1 Sulfurous Blast 1 Cleansing Beam 1 Comet Storm 1 Return to Dust 1 Bathe in Light 1 Orim's Thunder 1 Congregate 1 Path to Exile	Artifacts 1 Lightning Greaves 1 Sol Ring 1 Orzhov Signet 1 Rakdos Signet 1 Boros Signet 1 Darksteel Ingot 1 Armillary Sphere 1 Tenza, Godo's Maul
Enchantment 1 Stranglehold 1 Pyrohemia 1 Vow of Duty 1 Vow of Lightning 1 Vow of Malice 1 Righteous Cause 1 Soul Snare	Sorcery 1 Earthquake 1 Akroma's Vengeance 1 Diabolic Tutor  1 Evincar's Justice 1 Syphon Flesh  1 Syphon Mind  1 Into the Maw of Hell
Lands 1 Command Tower  1 Barren Moor  1 Forgotten Cave  1 Rakdos Carnarium  1 Orzhov Basilica  1 Boros Garrison  1 Secluded Steppe  1 Bojuka Bog  1 Akoum Refuge  1 Evolving Wilds  1 Rupture Spire 1 Molten Slagheap  8 Swamp  8 Plains 8 Mountain  1 Haunted Fengraf  1 Terminal Moraine	Creatures 1 Oros, the Avenger 1 Tariel, Reckoner of Souls  1 Basandra, Battle Seraph  1 Bladewing the Risen  1 Malfegor 1 Angel of Despair  1 Mordant Dragon  1 Mana-Charged Dragon  1 Akroma, Angel of Fury  1 Anger  1 Deathless Angel 1 Angelic Arbiter  1 Voice of All  1 Shattered Angel 1 Serra Angel  1 Kokusho, the Evening Star  1 Reiver Demon  1 Dread Cacodemon  1 Rune-Scarred Demon  1 Requiem Angel  1 Moonveil Dragon  1 Krav, the Unredeemed  1 Regna, the Redeemer  1 Archfiend of Despair  1 Stormbreath Dragon 1 Sylvia Brightspear  1 Khorvath Brightflame

 SB: 1 Kaalia of the Vast

I've been teaching my friend Rebecca to play Magic, and with that has come an education on how Commander works. She decided she wanted to build a Commander deck and Kaalia was one of her choices, so I thought I'd let her take mine for a spin. 

After the games were over, I recognized that I really hadn't done anything to Kaalia and that this deck could be incredibly powerful. Far more powerful than what it is. I also noted that, unlike my version on Cockatrice (which I pasted in here) my paper version has two copies of Bladewing the Risen. So let's give this a tune up. 

BOGO

 Here's what I ended up adding to Kyniaos & Tiro

Ghost Town
Rampaging Baloths
Improbable Alliance
Moruaug, Fury of Aksum
Xyris, the Writhing Storm
Jolrael, Mwonvuli Reculse
Emeria Angel
 Retreat to Emeria
Irengrag Pyromancer
Mind's Dilation
Psychosis Crawler
Treva, the Renewer
Consecrated Sphinx
Spellbook
Asceticism
Mad Ratter
Triskaidekaphile
Aragorn, the Uniter
Rumor Gatherer
Faerie Vandal
Retreat to Kazandu
Flawless Maneuver
Arcane Signet
Amareth, the Lustrous

Whew, that's quite a list! Let me talk about what I was thinking in overall themes, as going card by card seems unnecessary. 

Effectively: I tried to break it down into: cards that would give me an advantage when I played a land, cards that gave me advantages when cards were drawn, and some protections from having to discard my hand. 

I also ran the deck through Deckstats to tweak the mana base a little. Removed a Mountain and Island for a Treva's Ruins and a Simic Growth Chamber. 

The card I'm most pleased about adding? Ghost Town. When was the last time you thought of Ghost Town!?

Free Shit: the List

Look at ALL this stuff:

Deep Gnome Terramancer
Demolition Field
Invader Parasite
Martyr's Bond
Mind's Dilation
Smuggler's Share
Consecrated Sphinx
Smothering Tide
Xyris, the Writhing Storm
Zurzoth, Chaos Rider
Wedding Ring

Thopter Mechanic

The Council of Four

Rumor Gatherer

Prince Imrahil

Minn, Wily Illusionist

Mantle of tides

Mad Ratter

Jori En

Irencrag Pyromancer

Improbable Alliance

Gavi, Nest warden

Faerie Vandal

Mangara the Diplomat

Admonition Angel

Emeria Angel

Roil Elemental

Scute Swarm

Tatyova, Benthic Druid

Tireless Provisioner

Trench Behemoth

Valakut Exploration

Retreat to Emeria

Rampaging Behemoths

Primeval Bounty

Phylath, World Sculptor

Nesting Dragon

Moraug, Fury of akoum

Maja Beretagard Protector

Kazadnu Nectarpot

Greensleeves Maro Sorcerer

Felidar Retreat

Courser of Kruphix

Aksum Kellkite

Aesi Tyrant of Gyre Strait

That is a ludicrous amount of possible cards to fit in Kynaios and Tiro. And this is before I check EDHrec for suggestions!

Of these Triskaidekaphile and Seedborn Muse are some of my favorites, but a chance to add in The Millennium Calendar might be irresistible. 

Still, there is clearly a lot to sort through here. 

Commander: Kynaios and Tiro of Meletis

Instant 1 Arcane Denial 1 Benefactor's Draught 1 Oblation 1 Beast Within 1 Entrapment Maneuver 1 Reins of Power 1 Sylvan Reclamation 1 Consign to Dust	Artifacts 1 Sol Ring 1 Empyrial Plate 1 Howling Mine 1 Commander's Sphere 1 Temple Bell 1 Assault Suit 1 Prismatic Geoscope 1 Venser's Journal
Enchantment  1 Evolutionary Escalation 1 Oath of Druids 1 Ghostly Prison 1 Propaganda 1 Rites of Flourishing 1 Sphere of Safety 1 Lurking Predators 1 Hoofprints of the Stag 1 Dictate of Heliod	Sorcery 1 Minds Aglow 1 Collective Voyage 1 Cultivate 1 Kodama's Reach 1 Tempt with Discovery 1 Wave of Reckoning 1 Migratory Route 1 Seeds of Renewal 1 Reverse the Sands 1 Treacherous Terrain 1 Blasphemous Act 1 Cleansing Meditation
Lands 1 Ash Barrens 1 Azorius Chancery 1 Command Tower 1 Evolving Wilds 1 Exotic Orchard 1 Forbidden Orchard 1 Frontier Bivouac 1 Gruul Turf 1 Homeward Path 1 Izzet Boilerworks 1 Jungle Shrine 1 Krosan Verge 1 Myriad Landscape 1 Mystic Monastery 1 Opal Palace 1 Rupture Spire 1 Seaside Citadel 1 Selesnya Sanctuary 1 Terramorphic Expanse 1 Transguild Promenade 5 Plains 5 Island 5 Mountain 5 Forest	Creatures 1 Veteran Explorer 1 Humble Defector 1 Hushwing Gryff 1 Orzhov Advokist 1 Chasm Skulker 1 Gwafa Hazid, Profiteer 1 Ludevic, Necro-Alchemist 1 Selvala, Explorer Returned 1 Edric, Spymaster of Trest 1 Akroan Horse 1 Selfless Squire 1 Windborn Muse 1 Sidar Kondo of Jamuraa 1 Horizon Chimera 1 Psychosis Crawler 1 Kazuul, Tyrant of the Cliffs 1 Kraum, Ludevic's Opus 1 Realm Seekers 1 Rubblehulk 1 Progenitor Mimic 1 Blazing Archon 1 Archetype of Imagination

Alright, here's the commander for those unfamiliar. 

I got to play this once-after having not done much with this deck-and thought one thing: This should just be the ultimate value engine deck. Draw more cards, play more lands get free stuff off of doing that. Let's go.

So that's what I'm going to do: Free Shit, the Deck.

Daxos-For Now

I think this is where I am going to leave this deck:

Instant 1 Inkshield	Artifacts 1 Sol Ring 1 Wayfarer's Bauble 1 Lightning Greaves 1 Orzhov Signet 1 Orzhov Cluestone 1 Commander's Sphere 1 Idol of Oblivion
Enchantment 1 Seal of Cleansing 1 Banishing Light 1 Cage of Hands 1 Karmic Justice 1 Vow of Duty 1 Fallen Ideal 1 Seal of Doom 1 Vow of Malice 1 Aura of Silence 1 Grasp of Fate 1 Shielded by Faith 1 Phyrexian Arena 1 Underworld Connections 1 Daxos's Torment 1 Marshal's Anthem 1 Dictate of Heliod 1 Sigil of the Empty Throne 1 Necromancer's Covenant 2 Profane Procession 1 The Eldest Reborn 1 Call for Unity 1 Smothering Tithe 1 Wedding Announcement 1 Court of Ambition 1 Court of Grace 1 The Long Reach of Night 1 Michiko's Reign of Truth 1 The Meathook Massacre	Sorcery 1 Ancient Craving 1 Dawn to Dusk 1 Death Grasp 1 Kaya's Wrath 1 Rise to Glory
Lands 1 Barren Moor 1 Command Tower 1 Evolving Wilds 1 Ghost Quarter 1 New Benalia 1 Orzhov Basilica 1 Orzhov Guildgate 1 Rogue's Passage 1 Scoured Barrens 1 Secluded Steppe 1 Tainted Field 1 Temple of the False God 1 Terramorphic Expanse 1 Vivid Marsh 1 Vivid Meadow 11 Plains 13 Swamp	Creatures 1 Underworld Coinsmith 1 Burnished Hart 1 Bastion Protector 1 Ghostblade Eidolon 1 Kor Sanctifiers 1 Monk Idealist 1 Mesa Enchantress 1 Nighthowler 1 Fate Unraveler 1 Ajani's Chosen 1 Doomwake Giant 1 Celestial Ancient 1 Celestial Archon 1 Treasury Thrull 1 Silent Sentinel 1 Teysa, Envoy of Ghosts 1 Minthara, Merciless Soul 1 Tymaret, Chosen from Death

The trouble I'm having is that Daxos would really, really like it if I went into a combo path, generating creatures at will. This leads to some kind of infinite loop, in my opinion, likely a mana one so that I could play a very cheap Aura and then off that create all of the 1/1s ever. 

That's not an extremely interesting way to go, though I acknowledge it's probably the best one. 

Otherwise, Daxos the Returned wants to create a grindy matchup, and I think I've followed that path but I can't find myself extremely interested in that, either! Mostly because it doesn't work out as well as I would like: The necessity of always having an extra 3 mana available is very constrictive to playing Magic. 

Still, with a small burst of money and a desire to lean into what Daxos does, I made one final big change: Gild was replaced by The Meathook Massacre. As an enchantment and a board sweeper, this card fills in a rare slot in the game and in this deck specifically. 

It's also $30 and that's just ridiculous but for one copy, I'll give it a go.

Daxos: the good, the bad, the meh

Let's hit the ground running; these are the cards I'm so-so about.

Karlov of the Ghost Council
Thought Vessel
Crystal Chimes
Open the Vaults
Orescos Explorer
Herald of the Host
Ancient Craving
Banshee of the Dread Choir
Phyrexian Reclamation

Not a bad list to start with. The card I'm telling to fuck right off:

Sandstone Oracle

I don't know what deck this belongs in, but I want it far from me. This card goes into my Garbage Cube, if I haven't already put it there.

All in all, 10 cards to make this deck a little better is not much, but it is some wiggle room! So let's see what EDHrec has to say about this deck.

Ooooohhh myyyyy.

I don't know what else I'm doing with Daxos, but clearly Minthara is part of this plan. 

Cards I'm going to try out:

Inkshield
Court of Grace
Court of Cunning
Michio's Reign of Truth
Rise to Glory
Underworld Dreams (for the troll factor)
Tymaret, Chosen from Death
Commander's Sphere
Idol of Oblivion

I don't know that this is good but it is a start!

Commander: Daxos the Returned

Bringing Daxos the Returned out of the dugout for a cleanup. 

Instant	Artifacts 1 Wayfarer's Bauble 1 Lightning Greaves 1 Orzhov Signet 1 Thought Vessel 1 Crystal Chimes 1 Orzhov Cluestone
Enchantment 1 Phyrexian Reclamation 1 Seal of Cleansing 1 Banishing Light 1 Cage of Hands 1 Karmic Justice 1 Vow of Duty 1 Fallen Ideal 1 Seal of Doom 1 Vow of Malice 1 Aura of Silence 1 Grasp of Fate 1 Shielded by Faith 1 Phyrexian Arena 1 Underworld Connections 1 Daxos's Torment 1 Marshal's Anthem 1 Dictate of Heliod 1 Sigil of the Empty Throne 1 Necromancer's Covenant 1 Profane Procession/Tomb of the Dusk Rose 1 The Eldest Reborn 1 Call for Unity	Sorcery 1 Ancient Craving 1 Gild 1 Dawn to Dusk 1 Righteous Confluence 1 Open the Vaults 1 Deadly Tempest 1 Death Grasp
Lands 1 Barren Moor 1 Command Tower 1 Evolving Wilds 1 Ghost Quarter 1 New Benalia 1 Orzhov Basilica 1 Orzhov Guildgate 1 Rogue's Passage 1 Scoured Barrens 1 Secluded Steppe 1 Tainted Field 1 Temple of the False God 1 Terramorphic Expanse 1 Vivid Marsh 1 Vivid Meadow 11 Plains 13 Swamp	Creatures 1 Oreskos Explorer 1 Karlov of the Ghost Council 1 Underworld Coinsmith 1 Burnished Hart 1 Bastion Protector 1 Ghostblade Eidolon 1 Kor Sanctifiers 1 Monk Idealist 1 Mesa Enchantress 1 Nighthowler 1 Corpse Augur 1 Fate Unraveler 1 Ajani's Chosen 1 Doomwake Giant 1 Celestial Ancient 1 Celestial Archon 1 Herald of the Host 1 Banshee of the Dread Choir 1 Thief of Blood 1 Treasury Thrull 1 Sandstone Oracle 1 Silent Sentinel 1 Teysa, Envoy of Ghosts 1 Exquisite Archange

I've done a little mussing about with this one, but never really taken it to town. So here's a chance to put some eyes on it. There's been a couple sets with enchantment themes that have come up and the introduction of Sagas as a card type are new, I believe, since Daxos the Returned was printed. Hopefully that means there are some opportunities to have some fun!

Let's hope, anyway. B/W tokens is a long standing archetype, so I'd be interested in seeing if I can make something work here. 

Commander: Szadek, Lord of Secrets

 A quickie for a Monday! I want to get this deck ready for Thanksgiving too, since Jason's more into Commander these days and...well, he's gonna run mill.

So let's also Szadek, Lord of Secrets.

Instant 1 Brain Freeze 1 Dismiss 1 Ray of Command 1 Induce Paranoia 1 Mystical Tutor 1 Archive Trap 1 Deflection 1 Darkness 1 Vampiric Tutor 1 Grisly Spectacle	Artifacts 1 Whispersilk Cloak 1 Bösium Strip 1 Lightning Greaves 1 Dimir Signet 1 Charcoal Diamond 1 Keening Stone 1 Helm of Obedience 1 Sky Diamond 1 Sol Ring 1 Altar of Dementia 1 Trepanation Blade 1 Dimir Locket 1 Ring of Evos Isle
Enchantment 1 Diplomatic Immunity 1 Jace's Erasure 1 Pendrell Mists 1 Propaganda 1 Control Magic 1 Betrayal 1 No Mercy 1 Pestilence 1 Leyline of the Void 1 Memory Erosion 1 Fraying Sanity	Sorcery 1 Denying Wind 1 Mind Funeral 1 Psychic Drain 1 Flux 1 Sleight of Hand 1 Traumatize 1 Demonic Tutor 1 Syphon Flesh 1 Deny Reality 1 Dregs of Sorrow 1 Mind Grind 1 Tasha's Hideous Laughter 1 Maddening Cacophony 1 Fractured Sanity 1 Dread Summons 1 Pilfered Plans 1 Cut Your Losses
Lands 1 Dimir Aqueduct 1 Maze of Ith 13 Swamp 17 Island 1 Jwar Isle Refuge 1 Barren Moor 1 Lonely Sandbar 1 Waterfront District 1 Dismal Backwater 1 Nephalia Drownyard	Creatures 1 Nemesis of Reason 1 Raven Guild Master 1 Scalpelexis 1 Belltower Sphinx 1 Geth, Lord of the Vault 1 Sewer Nemesis 1 Riddlekeeper 1 Consuming Aberration 1 Fleet Swallower 1 Sire of Stagnation

This is the latest version of the deck. 

The problems with the old one: the lands could be better, Hinder is old, bad tech-and the deck was revolving around it as a combo piece with Tunnel Vision-, Altar of Dementia doesn't have enough targets (though it is pretty cool to get in extra mill with Szadeck) and there are some clearly better cards to utilize now for milling than there used to be! Cards like Millstone are just too slow for Commander.

What I changed:

Dreadship Reef

Bottomless Vault

Duskmantle, House of Shadow

Extractor Demon

Thrashing Wumpus

Netehrborn Phalanx

Dizzy Spell

Tunnel Vision

Spell Crumple

Millstone

Hinder

Mindcrank

Cabal Ritual

Brainspoil

Dimir Inflitrator

Shred Memory

Tunnel Vision

What went in:

Nephalia Drownyard

Dismal Blackwater

Waterfront District

Ring of Evos Isle

Dimir Locket

Cut Your Losses

Fraying Sanity

Pilfered Plans

Dread Summons

Grisly Spectacle

Sire of Stagnation

Fractured Sanity

Trepanation Blade

Fleet Swallower

Maddening Cacophony

Tasha's Hideous Laughter

Is it good? mmmmmm Probably not. But we'll have some fun testing!

Commander Interview

This is a really interesting interview with Sheldon Menery, who's the face of the Commander Rules Committee. 

One thing I found odd was how Sheldon came around to wanting diversity represented in the RC and the Professor pressing him on why that wasn't the case. Not because the question was bad. Because the obvious answer is obvious, and I wonder why it wasn't said. 

Short of firing a member of the Rules Committee, there just isn't space to include more people on the Committee right now. Someone is going to have to step down. For a variety of reasons, I don't think they want to fire people from the Rules Committee-these are all people who care deeply about the format, have put a great deal of time into shaping it, and are friends with each other. Firing someone would be a Very Big Deal. 

Which is what the Commander Advisory Group is for-it's clearly the 'farm team' for people to ascend to the Rules Committee when someone on the RC feels they are done with the work or dies or whatever. The makeup of the CAG is far more diverse and will pay those dividends in the future. 

But isn't that how you do it? You seed the ground and grow the vision for the future you hope to see. Someday the Rules Committee will be a broader selection of voices and I hope they continue to use the philosophy that brought them up to bring others up!

Edit: Sheldon had a clarifying point to make about whether or not he is paid by WotC and I'm including it, just in case someone was curious. 

The Dilemma (Or: Play to Your Outs)

I got a game with Skullbriar in with Noah last weekend that really stuck a point to me. As the game was winding down, Matt showed up, so as the last turn comes up there are three people looking at the situation.

Noah is playing a RUW goad deck, forcing players to attack, punishing them when they attack. He's at close to 40, which actually doesn't matter because I have a 14/14 Mycoloth in play, with eight tokens and a Pathbreaker Ibex, one of the dumbest cards in the deck. 

It's Noah's turn and he doesn't have a way to deal with the oncoming bad times. But what he does have is a Vengeful Ancestor and a flying white creature I cannot remember, but he attacks me down to one life, goading the Pathbreaker Ibex with the Ancestor.

My hand has Victimize, and my graveyard has a Wall of Blossoms. Neither Matt or Noah know my hand or deck but we discuss what my options are. After a lively bit of chatter, things are boiled down. 

My options are very simple: I need to gain one life, or I need to be able to destroy Vengeful Ancestor. Once we've established that, I decide to go for my extra draw because it is possible that I win off the right draw! 

But my brain doesn't actually sit with that information. What it knows is that when I attack with the Ibex, I lose. It conveniently dismisses that the only way to win is with Ibex.

So when I play Victimize, I sacrifice the Ibex, to return the Wall of Blossoms and another creature that doesn't kill the Vengeful Ancestor.

Wall of Blossoms draws into Jungle Hollow. A card I knew was in my deck and seemingly played into!

Except I sacrificed the only card that allowed me to win the game.

This was a bit epic, in the worst way. 

Skullbriar: Removals and Additions

Here's what I'm going to axe:

Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord (I don't like this card at all in anything)
Thought Vessel 
Dread Summons
Eater of Hope
Champion of Stray Souls (maybe)
Phyrexian Plaguelord
Viridian Zealot
Primal Growth
High Market
Centaur Vinecrasher (maybe)
Mulch
Grim Backwoods

That's seven, possibly eight cards that I don't like. I'm also uncertain about Terastodon, since between green and black, any permanent type can be eliminated.  Checking out the build at EDHrec, and there are some goodies. 

Now, in Skullbriar there seem to be three overall themes; Graveyard recursion, Tokens, and +1 counters. I've decided to cut the recursion elements to give me more tokens and supplement the +1 counters. 

The initial games I've played have been fine though. I haven't hated this build but I also haven't been as enamored with it either. I definitely appreciate being able to have a turn two play that is relevant: casting Skullbriar on turn two can definitely put the screws to opponents. Plus, there are plenty of very powerful cards that boost the deck, but with a de-emphasis on the graveyard recursion aspect, I think the cuts I'm making are sensible. 

What I'm left with asking is: what does Skullbriar want or need now that I've whittled away 11ish cards I don't like?

My considerations:

Inspiring Call
Silkguard
Find/Finality
Casualties of War
Trailblazer's Boots
Phyrexian Scriptures
Bonder's Enclave
Thundering Mightmare
Reyhan, Last of the Azban
Necropolis Regent
Grakmaw, Skyclave Ravager
Drana, Liberator of Malakir
The Ozolith
Dig Up
Assassin's Trophy
Steelbane Hydra
Pine Barrens

Some of these cards, like Pine Barrens, are easy picks-lands usually are. Trailblazer's Boots is one that I'm wondering if it should be auto-included in every Commander deck. The rest I want to be careful about, because I don't want to go all in on cards like Inspiring Call or Silkguard and find myself unable to deal with enchantments or be mana screwed because I cut Mulch. 

Commander: Skullbriar, the Walking Grave

 Skullbriar, the Walking Grave

Instant 1 Altar's Reap 1 Tribute to the Wild 1 Golgari Charm 1 Grisly Salvage 1 Putrefy 1 Wretched Confluence	Artifacts 1 Skullclamp 1 Sol Ring 1 Golgari Signet 1 Lightning Greaves 1 Thought Vessel 1 Bonehoard 1 Eldrazi Monument
Enchantment 1 Diabolic Servitude 1 Branching Evolution	Sorcery 1 Mulch 1 Victimize 1 Primal Growth 1 Ambition's Cost 1 Sever the Bloodline 1 Barter in Blood 1 Rise from the Grave 1 Spider Spawning 1 Overwhelming Stampede 1 Dread Summons
Lands 1 Command Tower 1 Evolving Wilds 1 Golgari Guildgate 1 Golgari Rot Farm 1 Grim Backwoods 1 High Market 1 Jungle Hollow 1 Polluted Mire 1 Slippery Karst 1 Tainted Wood 1 Terramorphic Expanse 1 Vivid Grove 1 Vivid Marsh 13 Swamp 12 Forest	Creatures 1 Sakura-Tribe Elder 1 Viridian Emissary 1 Wall of Blossoms 1 Viridian Zealot 1 Korozda Guildmage 1 Blood Bairn 1 Phyrexian Rager 1 Skullwinder 1 Wood Elves 1 Eternal Witness 1 Corpse Augur 1 Centaur Vinecrasher 1 Bloodspore Thrinax 1 Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord 1 Shriekmaw 1 Indrik Stomphowler 1 Kessig Cagebreakers 1 Banshee of the Dread Choir 1 Phyrexian Plaguelord 1 Acidic Slime 1 Mycoloth 1 Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest 1 Vulturous Zombie 1 Great Oak Guardian 1 Champion of Stray Souls 1 Thief of Blood 1 Pathbreaker Ibex 1 Cloudthresher 1 Butcher of Malakir 1 Eater of Hope 1 Scourge of Nel Toth 1 Caller of the Pack 1 Verdant Force 1 Terastodon 1 Winding Constrictor 1 Corpsejack Menace

Here we have what is probably 99% base deck from the original WotC did years ago. 

Let's give this a tune up.

The Map

People are astounding sometimes. 

Some folks who love Commander got together to create an interactive map of commanders, so people can see what cards are really trending in certain decks. 

I found out about this via Reddit, where the creators explain what they are doing. 

I can't say that I love Commander that much-but I do think this project is pretty cool.

Redic

This is not the best video-as the camera goes out of focus from time to time, but it is SO dang silly, I have to share.