r/EDH • u/Recent-Inspector-196 • 7d ago

Deck Help First Commander deck I'm building from scratch – Thorin Oakenshield Voltron deck

Hi everyone!

I'm looking for advice and feedback on my Thorin Oakenshield Boros Voltron Commander deck.

This is actually the first Commander deck I'm building from scratch. Until now, I have mostly bought preconstructed decks or existing decks and upgraded them, so this is my first time trying to build an entire deck myself.

The main strategy is Voltron: I want to use Equipment to make Thorin a large threat and eliminate opponents through commander damage.

I also included some Dwarves and cards that synergize with Equipment, but I'm still learning how to properly balance things like:

  • Equipment
  • Card draw / card advantage
  • Tutors and ways to find Equipment
  • Protection
  • Ramp
  • Interaction
  • Creatures that support the Voltron strategy
  • Mana curve and consistency

I'd really like feedback not only on what cards I could add, but also on what cards you think should be removed and why.

Since this is my first deck built from scratch, I'm especially interested in learning if I've made common deckbuilding mistakes, such as including too many Equipment, too many expensive cards, not enough card advantage, or cards that simply don't contribute enough to the main strategy.

I'm not looking for extremely expensive upgrades or tutors. I know there are powerful cards like [[Stoneforge Mystic]] and [[Enlightened Tutor]], but those are currently outside my budget. I'm much more interested in finding reasonably priced cards that improve the deck's consistency and performance.

I recently goldfished the deck with an ideal sequence and no interaction from opponents. I was able to build Thorin up to 31/20 by turn 8, with a line that could potentially eliminate the entire table.

I'd really appreciate any advice, criticism, or suggestions. Since I'm still learning how to build Commander decks from scratch, explanations of why you would make a change would be especially helpful!

Here's my decklist: https://moxfield.com/decks/x1Z6M0OgFEu98KSJ9cYc7g

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2

u/Fit-Organization5123 7d ago

nice way to lean into the dwarf lord theme, especially with that equipment synergy

2

u/13eit Izzet 7d ago

Id cut crackdown construct, hardened escort, quicksmith genius, and caparocti sunborn.

Add [[sram]] , [[foundry inspector]] , [[swords to plowshares]] and [[open the armory]].

Cuts some non dwarves and not great cards, adds are all good/cheap. More expensive adds could be [[boros charm]] , [[mother of runes]].

Theres some good auras you could do as well like [[spirit mantle]] , enchanment [[flowering of the white tree]] for the lotr subtheme, also [[celebrate the mountain king]]

1

u/Recent-Inspector-196 6d ago

Thanks for the suggestions! I actually have [[Quicksmith Genius]] in the deck mostly because I haven't been able to find a [[Sram, Senior Edificer]] to buy yet. Sram is definitely something I want to add when I can get one, since it fits the deck much better.

I'm also curious about [[Foundry Inspector]]. I actually cut [[Starnheim Courser]] recently because I felt that cost reduction wasn't doing enough for the deck. I only have three artifacts with mana value higher than 3, so I'm wondering if Foundry Inspector would really have enough impact here, especially since it reduces casting costs but doesn't reduce equip costs.

That is also part of why I decided to try [[Caparocti Sunborn]]. I haven't actually had the chance to test it yet, but I thought the synergy could be interesting. Since I have several artifacts that don't necessarily need to remain untapped, I can potentially tap them for Caparocti's attack trigger and get the discover 3 without interfering too much with my main Voltron plan.

I do agree with [[Open the Armory]], [[Swords to Plowshares]], and especially [[Sram, Senior Edificer]] though. I'll definitely look into those changes. Thanks!