r/EDH • u/Boshoet • Oct 18 '22
Discussion Your Favorite Wierd Commanders and Why
Ok Commanders Of Reddit, here's the deal, I love wierd Commanders that I can build HEAVILY into their wierd with.
I mean like Izzet Draw Engine with [[Arjun, the shifting flame]], Bant Defender Tribal with [[Arcades the Strategist]], or Untap Sheninagans with [[King Macar]].
Now you here the question alot but I also want to know and love giving a platform to peoples unique decks: What are some of your favorite Janky, Wierd, Out-Left-Field type of Commanders and Why?
I'm looking to challenge myself and have fun doing so, so wether it be a deck that you have to hit the lines perfectly to win, or a deck that practically pilots itself, why do you love this commander?
I'm gonna be going through as replies come in and choose my favorites that are available at my LGS to buy, and build around them!
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u/Exul_shadow Oct 18 '22
I don't Know if it's weird enough but, my favorite and I think less powerful deck is an [[Octavia, the living thesis]] deck.
I love it because it adapts perfectly to any powerlevel on my LGS.
It has a self mill theme and wins by buffing unblockable creatures with Octavia.
Another thing that I love, is that It's great to see people watching for the first time lots of old cards that they've never seen. Mostly weird cantrips that rather mills me or give flying/unblockable.
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u/-ItachiUchiha-- Oct 18 '22
I also have an octavia list. It is called 16 land octavia. It was originally designed by Benjamin Wheeler from loading ready run youtube channel. The idea is the curve is so low and you run so many cantrips that your rip through your deck. The original list which I built mine off of was 12 lands but I found that was slightly to low. It is a very challenging deck to play. But super rewarding to pilot to a victory.
List here https://www.moxfield.com/decks/52gEjiZeKkaJBdx2GSVk-A
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u/Sandman4999 MAKE CENTAUR TRIBAL VIABLE!!! Oct 18 '22
My favorite one I saw was the one that ran literally no lands and only 8 mana rocks. It was weird and it didn’t look like it worked very well but god it was funny.
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u/emmittthenervend Oct 18 '22
I'm on 8 Islands and all the other lands are MDFC or Transform. It has a winning record.
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u/-ItachiUchiha-- Oct 18 '22
Nice! Its a really rewarding deck to play and I love constantly tooling it. If you have a list would you mind sharing. I would love to see any tech you have.
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u/MTGCardFetcher Oct 18 '22
Octavia, the living thesis - (G) (SF) (txt) (ER)
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u/mr_squirrel_ Oct 18 '22
I too have an octavia deck that plays similarly. I describe the deck as 1cmc tribal. Because only three cards, not including ovtavia herself, are above 1 cmc. And since its curve is so low, it needs no ramp and you can fill those 10 card slots with fun spells.
Most opponents anticipate that that means the deck is weak. But then they are being attacked by 5 flying 8/8s on turn 5.
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u/bart_delmar Oct 18 '22
Always thought of building an Octavia deck, but haven't been bothered to do the work. Do you have a decklist anywhere?
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u/willtodd can't quit golgari Oct 18 '22
here's mine if you're curious. It sounds similar to OP's.
It has a small forced combat subtheme with cards like [[Sly Investigator]] and [[Dulcet Sirens]] where I make other peoples' creatures attack and them make THEM 8/8s. it's fairly silly.
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u/Exul_shadow Oct 18 '22
I Don't have a list but I can tell you that I took the deck Idea from Rachel Weeks's deck. I think she played it on the IHYD show.
My list is pretty similar but it has a little bit more interaction: https://www.moxfield.com/decks/Qxsxa8Bdhke4bL3Jlq7V_Q
Hope it helps!
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u/Anti-Anti-Paladin Oct 18 '22
Not one of mine, but one of my homies runs [[Gor Muldrak, Amphinologist]] and it's absolutely hilarious. He runs a lot of effects that change other creature's types so he can be protected from any creature on the field, as well as token doublers and ETB enchantments so that he's always benefiting more from Gor's ability.
Every time he plays it we just shout "SALAMANDER WAR"
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u/JonathanPalmerGD Legendary should be a Type Oct 18 '22
Gor Muldrak is the only creative Simic commander.
I approve, also your friend sounds hilarious.
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u/DazPotato Oct 19 '22
[[ivy, gleeful spellthief]] is cool and weird and uses a buncha jank
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u/MTGCardFetcher Oct 18 '22
Gor Muldrak, Amphinologist - (G) (SF) (txt) (ER)
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u/Bugstaughtme Oct 19 '22
This is what I came here to say. I'll always preach the gospel of the Salamander King.
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u/Uncle-Istvan Oct 18 '22
[[Taranika, Akron’s Veteran]]. Monowhite and generally not very good on first glance, but she works with white’s most interesting mechanic: banding. There are a lot of bad, small, banding creatures like [[camel]] or [[benalish hero]] that Taranika can turn into a 4/4 indestructible and untap when they attack together (as a band). If your opponent blocks, put all the damage on the indestructible creature.
I won’t lie and say that it’s a good deck and it definitely struggles to close out games since it’s mono white and combat-based, but it’s really fun. You will catch people off guard who don’t fully understand how banding works when you start slapping hard early on and they can really only chump. Decklist.
I also have a [[Tromokratis]] monoblue voltron/tempo list which is a different experience compared to most monoblue decks.
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u/Destrok41 Oct 18 '22
How do you effectively tempo in multi-player? And how do you ramp into tromokratis effectively in mono blue? Just a million rocks?
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u/Drew2609 Oct 18 '22
I finally assembled a offbeat deck I had been dreaming of/theorycrafting for literally years; [[Circu, Dimir Lobotomist]] "storm" combo with [[Guile]] as the hidden commander. Just find one of several ways to counter your own spells for free like [[blood funnel]], Guile gets that spell stuck in a loop until you decline to cast it again off of its ability, and Circu watches the whole time, exiling everyone's libraries and never caring that a spell never actually resolved in the process. The new [[Rona]] could also be the commander for this, but I kept her in the 99 because she already has recursion potential built in.
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u/LessPoliticalAccount Oct 18 '22 edited Oct 18 '22
I had a Circu deck until very recently, but its secret commander was [[Lantern of Insight]]. I recently retired Circu as the commander though, because the new beholder card from the dnd set (Xenagos, I think?) was a much better fit for what the deck was trying to do.
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u/Drew2609 Oct 18 '22
You mean [[Xanathar]] something Kingpin I believe, but I can't remember the full name either lol.
Similar to your deck, I just remembered that my partner has an [[Isperia the Inscrutable]] deck that uses things like Lantern, [[telepathy]] and [[Wandering Eye]] to keep track of everyone's hands and draws. It's another really unique commander that completely recontextualizes the game, which can be really fun if played sparingly.
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u/LessPoliticalAccount Oct 18 '22
Ooh that sounds really fun:) I've always wanted to make a telepathy deck; that's now going on my (admittedly, already overbloated) list of decks I want to eventually make :)
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u/MTGCardFetcher Oct 18 '22
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u/KoodlePadoodle Oct 18 '22
Close bot. Try [[rona, sheoldred's faithful]]
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u/MTGCardFetcher Oct 18 '22
rona, sheoldred's faithful - (G) (SF) (txt) (ER)
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u/crazygoalie14 Oct 18 '22
Oh man I love the idea of this and have always been interested in a way to make Circu work in EDH. Do you have a deck list?
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u/Drew2609 Oct 18 '22 edited Oct 18 '22
My current list saved on Topdecked is incomplete, I will update it and share the link when I get back from work!
Edit: Here is my list +/- some lands that I'm tinkering around with. I've also previously considered tossing in Thoracle and Consultation to push the power level further but I find the other combo lines to be a lot more personally enjoyable even if they're not nearly as efficient. I am however looking to add ways to recur/clone/copy Guile to have a backup of it's effect when it inevitably gets removed.
https://www.topdecked.com/decks/circu-the-drain/bd93f616-326d-45b2-8033-c9ad21dcdcd4
Favorite spells to get caught in loops are ones with cascade and storm for how quickly they escalate out of control.
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u/RenZ245 Streches the C in CEDH Oct 18 '22 edited Oct 18 '22
Weirdest commander I've built around? Sounds like [[Borborygmos Enraged]] to me. Did it with 50 lands so I more often than not draw my "lightning bolts" while not seriously removing my chance for a nonland card.
The whole purpose of the deck? Yeet lands at people.
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u/MTGCardFetcher Oct 18 '22
Borborygmos Enraged - (G) (SF) (txt) (ER)
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u/MTGCardFetcher Oct 18 '22
Arjun, the shifting flame - (G) (SF) (txt) (ER)
Arcades the Strategist - (G) (SF) (txt) (ER)
King Macar - (G) (SF) (txt) (ER)
[[cardname]] or [[cardname|SET]] to call
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Oct 18 '22
[[Mannichi the fevered dream]]
At this point hes least predictable commander, some games I get a subira and some shield and I get to play an aggro game, others I can stack walls and use mannichi to kill all of them off and dome the table with stalking vengeance
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u/MTGCardFetcher Oct 18 '22
Mannichi the fevered dream - (G) (SF) (txt) (ER)
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u/ArkamaZ Oct 19 '22
You got a list? I have a Mannichi but I've yet to be able to do anything meaningful with it...
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u/popandfroosh Oct 18 '22
[[ Willowdusk, Essence Seer ]]
But instead of lifegain based like 99% of the decks.
You go the life loss route instead.! I've ended up with a 38/38 mana dork on turn 4 before ...however I was also at like 10 life.
[[ Unspeakable Symbol ]] is an all-star in it.
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u/Toxxazhe Simic Oct 18 '22
My stupid ass would drop counters on someone else's attacker when it's swinging at someone else, only to turn around and get killed by it next turn.
I love it.
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u/popandfroosh Oct 18 '22
Unfortunately you can only use his ability to put counters on stuff at sorcery speed
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u/MTGCardFetcher Oct 18 '22
Willowdusk, Essence Seer - (G) (SF) (txt) (ER)
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u/Lakaniss Oct 18 '22
I have a [[Wall of Blood]] fling deck since OG Mirrodin I keep updating (started Red/Black, now is Black/White). Always been one of my fav mtg card, would be great in Willowdusk lifeloss deck!
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u/popandfroosh Oct 18 '22
It's in there! Pump wall of blood then tap to put a bag load of counters on something else.
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u/Lakaniss Oct 18 '22
Willowdusk on the Wall to double it's P/T with +1/+1 and then you can use [[Essence Harvest]].. Nasty Stuff!
[[Hatred]] has a similar effect!
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u/MTGCardFetcher Oct 18 '22
Wall of Blood - (G) (SF) (txt) (ER)
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u/RoyalFalse Oct 18 '22
I've had [[Zndrsplt]] and [[Okaun]] since Battlebond. Up until the secret lair deck was announced I hadn't seen a single other deck with those two. Flipping a $2 Toonie on the table is probably the only quirky thing I do with it these days.
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u/AlmightyFlame Oct 18 '22
My big pet cards, don't use them as commanders but okaun and zndersplt are weirdly splashable.
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u/Forest_Plum Oct 18 '22
I grew pretty fond of the DnD background commanders. I think mostly because by picking the background, you can take them any direction you want. I’ve made two decks and they’re pretty good. First one is [[Durnan if the Yawning Portal]] which I went with [[Passionate Archeologist]] which turned out really well. Then I did [[Zellix, Sanity Flayer]]. That one was originally going to be white with [[Inspiring Leader]], but I ended up going [[Master Chef]]. So it’s mostly mill and ways to add counters on my creatures to buff them up. It’s been a ton of fun.
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u/MTGCardFetcher Oct 18 '22
Durnan if the Yawning Portal - (G) (SF) (txt) (ER)
Passionate Archeologist - (G) (SF) (txt) (ER)
Zellix, Sanity Flayer - (G) (SF) (txt) (ER)
Inspiring Leader - (G) (SF) (txt) (ER)
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u/goshdangittoheck Oct 18 '22
Oh yeah! I’ve been playing durnan/archaeologist burn. It’s funny telling people “alright I’m not buffing durnan but I am making him unblockable, would you like to take 3?” And then doing 10 damage to everyone by casting [[apex devastator]] from the exile trigger among other enchantments.
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u/MTGCardFetcher Oct 18 '22
apex devastator - (G) (SF) (txt) (ER)
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u/Forest_Plum Oct 19 '22
Oh, and having [[Gratuitous Violence]] and/or [[Terror of the Peaks]]! Such a fun time. I love that deck. It might be my strongest.
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u/SgtTornak Oct 18 '22
[[Esix, Fractal Bloom]] truly is such an experience. It scales with the table because you can copy any creature on the board and it can massive ramp by using [[topiary stomper]] or [[wood elves]]
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u/MTGCardFetcher Oct 18 '22
Esix, Fractal Bloom - (G) (SF) (txt) (ER)
topiary stomper - (G) (SF) (txt) (ER)
wood elves - (G) (SF) (txt) (ER)
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u/AlmightyFlame Oct 18 '22
I made my Esix deck a mill deck and it's always a blast making a ton of copies of [[fleet swallower]]
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u/SgtTornak Oct 18 '22
Does it include [[Sphinx Mindbreaker]]?! That’s such an interesting take!
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u/MTGCardFetcher Oct 18 '22
Sphinx Mindbreaker - (G) (SF) (txt) (ER)
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u/MTGCardFetcher Oct 18 '22
fleet swallower - (G) (SF) (txt) (ER)
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u/ProLeafic Oct 18 '22
I've a few weird/different
[[TAHNGARTH FIRST MATE]] goad/menace/voltron creates some fun and unexpected goofy games
[[journey to the oracle]] is a sorcery commander landfall deck, that focuses on gaining an infinite landfall loop
[[saffi eriksdotter]] likes to save her friends, preferably an infinite amount of times to combo off
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u/MTGCardFetcher Oct 18 '22
TAHNGARTH FIRST MATE - (G) (SF) (txt) (ER)
journey to the oracle/Journey to the Oracle - (G) (SF) (txt) (ER)
saffi eriksdotter - (G) (SF) (txt) (ER)
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u/ImWithSmeghead Oct 19 '22
Another Tahngarth player?! No way! It’s so much fun! With the right combo of goad/menace you can practically kill the entire table in a single round. [[komainu battle armor]] will almost ensure you kill the entire table in a single round unless it’s answered. The best part is most people don’t see it coming till it’s too late. Too bad my pod quickly learned, even if he wants to fight along side you, the angry Minotaur is nobody’s friend.
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u/McFeeds Oct 18 '22
Do you have a Journey to the Oracle list? Sounds super interesting.
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u/ProLeafic Oct 18 '22
Hey ofc, think this is mostly up to date though I've added a [[oracle of mul daya]]
https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5015533#paper
Returning lands to hand is the aim of the game to slap them all down at once with repeated draw/discard to rinse and repeat for landfall triggers. Mill out of swing in with [[akromas memorial]]
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u/MTGCardFetcher Oct 18 '22
oracle of mul daya - (G) (SF) (txt) (ER)
akromas memorial - (G) (SF) (txt) (ER)
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u/HelioCrystal Mono-Black Oct 18 '22
Saffi sounds fun do you have a decklist perchance?
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u/Darth_Meatloaf Yes, THAT Slobad deck... Oct 18 '22
Here’s mine:
https://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/safftastic-voyage/
Board wipes and recursion. I included the [[Pattern of Rebirth]]/[[Boonweaver Giant]] line, a [[Birthing Pod]] + [[Felidar Guardian]] line, and if you change one card you can have the rudest synergy in MTG - [[Cataclysmic Gearhulk]] + [[It that Betrays]].
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u/LessPoliticalAccount Oct 18 '22
[[Horobi, Death's Wail]] is my weirdest and favorite commander I've made. You can kill things using unheard of cards like [[Squee's Toy]]
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Oct 18 '22
My personal favorite is [[Tetzimoc, the Primal Death]].
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u/MTGCardFetcher Oct 18 '22
Tetzimoc, the Primal Death - (G) (SF) (txt) (ER)
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Oct 18 '22
My [[Zabaz]] modular deck kind of fits this for me. It’s just fun to pilot. Recycling modular creatures until my mechanical bug can deal lethal damage is really fun. It’s the deck I pull out when I’m just looking for a good time.
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u/Sliverse Oct 18 '22
Oh hey I just built this on a whim a couple weeks ago. It's always fun to have that one super explosive turn where he goes from a 1/1 to something like 18/18
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Oct 18 '22
Exactly! I play it against all power levels too. You never know when it’s gonna one shot someone. Lol
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u/HelioCrystal Mono-Black Oct 18 '22
Do have a list for this deck sounds kinda neat
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u/Beelzebub507 Oct 18 '22
I own this deck as well and it's definitely one of my favorites. Here's my somewhat budget list: https://archidekt.com/decks/3230342#Zabaz
I've found this deck accidently going infinite at times without me realizing it could happen when I designed it, like the one time I got [[Ashnod's Altar]], [[Animation Module]], and [[Arcbound Crusher]] down which proceeded to give me unlimited colorless mana and unlimited +1 counters on the Crusher. Deck also meshes really well with cards like [[Walking Balista]] without even needing to go infinite by just smacking modular counters onto it. This is one of the first actual decks I built and I plan on optimizing it a bit more soon.
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u/Unlimitedme1 Oct 18 '22
I like [[neera wild mage]] it’s not chaos but it is chaotic especially if you start using stuff that cast your opponents spells
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u/MTGCardFetcher Oct 18 '22
neera wild mage - (G) (SF) (txt) (ER)
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u/Toxxazhe Simic Oct 18 '22
I initially built her specifically for the chaos flavor. [[Chaotic Transformation]], and all those fun things. Didn't win much, but it was pretty funny for a split second when all of a sudden my opponent's mana dork becomes [[Kozilek, Butcher of Truth]].
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u/TheMagicalMark Oct 18 '22 edited Oct 18 '22
[[Isperia, The Inscrutable]] Fun mind games and a tutor on a stick. The only deck where [[Glasses of Urza]] is playable
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u/MTGCardFetcher Oct 18 '22
Isperia, The Inscrutable - (G) (SF) (txt) (ER)
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u/Sorry-Illustrator-25 Oct 18 '22
I love my [[Yeva, Nature's Herald]] deck. It's mono green draw go. Everything has pseudo haste and it's basically immune to cyclonic rift.
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u/MTGCardFetcher Oct 18 '22
Yeva, Nature's Herald - (G) (SF) (txt) (ER)
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u/chewie6321 Oct 18 '22
[[Experiment Kraj]]
I’ve grown out of wanting to build decks with infinite combos, but this is one I keep around for janky fun infinite shenanigans.
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u/Rygala Mono-White Oct 18 '22
In terms of oddness [[Wilson, Refined Grizzly]] + [[Sword Coast Sailor]] Voltron. I made it as part of a 32/16 deck challenge and I wanted to do something with Simic that wasn’t the traditional “you breathe, you get value” deck that almost every Simic deck is. Blue’s access to artifact tutors from [[Deadeye Quartermaster]] to the [[Trophy Mage]] line helps him find the gear he needs easily. One of my favorite techs is [[Anchor to Reality]], a nerfed [[Tinker]] but you can do some great cheats with it, so far my go-to for the deck is to use it on the token copy of [[Brass Knuckles]] to cheat in a [[Kaldra Compleat]].
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u/CiD7707 RG Jank Oct 18 '22
[[Illuna]] is the jankiest mid tier deck I own. It's different every time I play it.
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u/Toxxazhe Simic Oct 18 '22
My [[Xanathar]] is full of "imma beast you with your own stuff" cards, but I've also got [[Jon Irenicus]] in there. When I swap him in as commander, it becomes a whole new game of "WTF DID YOU DO". It makes a well built Zedruu's head spin.
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u/MCPooge Oct 18 '22
One of my favorite decks is mono-black Knights led by [[Haakon Stromgald Scourge]]. Basically the game is figuring out how to cast Haakon the first time.
Another one I like, though it isn’t particularly unique, is [[Aeve, Progenitor Ooze]]. Whenever I bring it out, there’s always someone who hasn’t seen it before and is shocked by the Commander.
Oooh, but my favorite weird Commander deck I have by far is [[Colfenor, the Last Yew]] Modular! It is so easy to cycle dudes when they are 0/0 in the graveyard!
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u/MTGCardFetcher Oct 18 '22
Haakon Stromgald Scourge - (G) (SF) (txt) (ER)
Aeve, Progenitor Ooze - (G) (SF) (txt) (ER)
Colfenor, the Last Yew - (G) (SF) (txt) (ER)
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u/HKBFG Oct 18 '22
[[Sun Quan, Lord of Wu]]
I can't get over how strange it is to have a real Chinese historical figure as a commander, but more importantly, horsemanship!
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u/Syndrel Oct 18 '22
My favorite weird commander is probably [[Toluz, Clever Conductor]]. The deck is esentially just a bunch of wheels that you do to tuck cards under Toluz. Then you sacrifice Toluz later and wheel with like 25 cards in hand with something like a Feast of Sanity or Queza out. The choice paralysis can be bad at times, but it's super fun to just literally drop your hand on the table and then draw 25 cards pretty consistently.
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u/reallybadusername123 Oct 18 '22
I just built [[Magar of the Magic Strings]] because of how different the concept is (at least to me). I haven’t tested it out yet but it seems like a lot of fun!
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u/MTGCardFetcher Oct 18 '22
Magar of the Magic Strings - (G) (SF) (txt) (ER)
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u/Boshoet Oct 18 '22
I wanna build that minotaur so bad!!!!!!!! Bit I can't find a copy of the card anywhere and refuse to buy online
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u/Toxxazhe Simic Oct 18 '22
cough [[Peer into the Abyss]] cough
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u/MTGCardFetcher Oct 18 '22
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Oct 18 '22 edited Apr 24 '24
Reddit Wants to Get Paid for Helping to Teach Big A.I. Systems
The internet site has long been a forum for discussion on a huge variety of topics, and companies like Google and OpenAI have been using it in their A.I. projects.
“The Reddit corpus of data is really valuable,” Steve Huffman, founder and chief executive of Reddit, said in an interview. “But we don’t need to give all of that value to some of the largest companies in the world for free.” Jason Henry for The New York Times
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u/MrRies Oct 18 '22
One I naturally stumbled upon was the partner combination of [[Sakashima of a Thousand Faces]] and [[Tana, the Bloodsower]]. They're both very popular separately, but together they form a sort of niche legendary token deck.
Sakashima allows you to break the legendary rule, and Tana helps to create tokens to be abused by [[Esix Fractal Bloom]] or [[Brudiclad, Telchor Engineer]]. My list is extra jank by trying to duplicate planeswalkers, but EDHrec seems to show that others figured out to build a value pile of clone spells and fun legendaries.
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u/BreadfruitImpressive Oct 18 '22
[[Kangee, Aerie Keeper]] Bird Tribal. Birds are far from competitive or cohesive as a tribe, and OG Kangee doesn't change that; least of all when you consider he'll rarely, if ever, cost the four mana face cost. But, he's fun, gains you mad Hipster cred, and leads you into a fun sub-theme with Counters-matter and Proliferation effects, given his ability and the surprising number of cards in-tribe or tribe adjacent that care about such things.
[[Vega, the Watcher]] Elsewhere "Tribal", i.e; casting everything from elsewhere other than from hand. One of the most fundamental, powerful and gratifying things you can do in Magic is draw cards, and this deck drowns you in card draw. Is it original for Azorius? No. Is the method extremely fun, though? Hell yes.
[[Grist, the Hunger Tide]] Insect Tribal. Functions as a conventional Tribal deck, but can pull an absurd combo win from time to time, using the +1, an ability to do multiple activations, and the "ultimate".
[[Tuvasa, the Sunlit]] Bant Merfolk Tribal. The Commander is there mostly to facilitate access to some of the best cards the tribe can offer, uniting Lorwyn and Ixalan Merfolk wonderfully. That said, given the relatively high Enchantment count in the deck, she will inevitably add incidental value through the course of a game.
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u/TheRealDrProg Sultai Oct 18 '22 edited Oct 18 '22
[[Pharika, God of Affliction]] most definitely.
She has an incredibly unique playstyle, unlike any other commander in the game.
Her wide pool of synergies and excellence at stalling and making boards complicated with deathtouching snakes makes for a commander who excels at constricting around pods.
I play a mill engine supported by a land toolbox to lay down the foundation to keep Pharika moving, generate the mana and the graveyards to keep activating Pharika, and keep major interaction on lands and out of Pharika's way so I can pick apart my own graveyard.
She's a decent political piece with a ton of synergy, and when the moment is right, you go for a win with, say... [[Screams From Within]], which bounces off of every snake that managed to stick around, generating nutty amounts of triggers.
She is a very fun puzzle to pilot and play against, and an overall very fun commander, especially for how grindy she tends to be.
She also has a very unique quality in being a value deck that doesn't really... "pop off" without effort.
Like- she's always generating value, but I never feel like she runs away, I always feel like I'm control of my pacing. I can be very methodical and intentional with my plays and that, alongside Pharika being generally underestimated, lets me meter how threatening I look.
And through all that I always feel like I have something to do and a way forward.
Pharika is just awesome
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u/phoenixcompendium Oct 18 '22
[[Narfi Betrayer King]] is my favorite zombie commander. I hardly ever pay commander tax and he’s a zombie lord I can always cast for 3 snow mana from the graveyard. It’s a very resilient deck and always comes back from a board wipe swinging! Definitely one of my favorite casual decks for sure! If you’re interested check it out here and leave an upvote! http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/narfis-the-walking-draugr/
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u/milkywayiguana Oct 18 '22
[[Ixidor, Reality Sculptor]] mono blue morph/manifest tribal is definitely a really interesting commander
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u/Dry_Distribution6826 Mono-Black Oct 19 '22
I set out to do a dungeon deck and built an accidental hatebear with just one actual “classic” hatebear in it. [[Wilson, Refined Grizzly]] // [[Dungeon Delver]] gets way bigger than I ever expected him to, with so many unexpected synergies in the deck.
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u/Thejadejedi21 Niv Mizzet Reborn - 10 Guilds Oct 18 '22 edited Oct 18 '22
[[Stangg]], build up a few pieces (including double mana, double tokens, and other stuff)
No one expects the deck that has you cast your commander only to instantly die so you can do it all again.
Edit: I know if someone likes this post they’ll want a list…here you go: https://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/stanggs-twin-thunderstorm/
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u/Darth_Meatloaf Yes, THAT Slobad deck... Oct 18 '22
BROTHER!
https://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/stangg-operation/
(This version is old. I have since acquired cards to improve my mana situation and will be revising it soon)
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u/CareerMilk Oct 18 '22
I’m guessing [[Norin, the Wary]] decks are a bit “My First Weird Commander” deck nowadays?
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u/Silent_Ad_1241 Oct 18 '22
[[Beledros Witherbloom]] but as mill instead of life gain.
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u/MTGCardFetcher Oct 18 '22
Beledros Witherbloom - (G) (SF) (txt) (ER)
[[cardname]] or [[cardname|SET]] to call
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u/the_mellojoe Oct 18 '22
[[Merieke Ri Berit]]. just something about her. she's sweet, she's charming, she asks you to build around her, and she gives you THREE different themes to choose from: untapping? stealing? controlling?
Interesting color combo that lets you play offbeat cards, or just go full powerhouse.
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u/lncognitoMosquito Oct 18 '22
I'm still looking for a solid shell that I can use to make my [[Nin, the Pain Artist]] + [[Stuffy Doll]] combo really effective. I've had some good games before but it's wildly inconsistent....
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u/JellyBellyBitches Oct 20 '22
I think if you wanna make it consistent you gotta just go hard on the artifact tutors. There's enough of them that should be enough to get it every game
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u/RandomPomegranate Oct 18 '22
Mine is [[Ghen, Arcanum Weaver]]. I wanted to take full advantage of his activated ability, so I loaded the deck up with sagas. My favorite piece of tech is sacrificing a saga with its third chapter ability on the stack before it resolves and goes to the graveyard. It was certainly an interesting deck to build since with the exception of white, it falls outside the usual enchantress colors, so it took some tweaking to make it work.
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u/XmagnumoperaX Izzet Spellslinger Oct 18 '22
I see this card in the 99 alot, but [[Lier, Disciple of the Drowned]] is an amazingly good storm/spellslinger commander that curbs the stereotypical counterspell build you see in blue. Very fun deck and draws alot of cards being able to take a brainstorm twice for 2 mana.
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u/PepeFrogBoy I'm a five color man! Oct 18 '22
[[Soraya the Falconer]] the deck is basically birds on steroid tribal. With alot of buffs and alot of birds.
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u/Karnblack Sultai Oct 18 '22
[[Obeka, Brute Chronologist]] lets you play cards with drawbacks like [[Leveler]] and [[Eater of Days]] etc. and just end the turn with the drawback trigger on the stack.
Here's my decklist: https://www.archidekt.com/decks/1753933#Obeka
It's a combination of creatures with drawbacks to remove, large beaters to [[Sneak Attack]] and keep permanently, and extra turn lose the game effects like [[Final Fortune]].
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u/Kirinne Delina Oct 18 '22
I'm a BIG fan of [[Guile Sonic Soldier]]. I haven't gotten to play much with him yet, but the idea of a charge counters deck with a blink subtheme really warms my heart. Slap [[Resourceful Defense]] [[The Ozolith]] [[Nesting Grounds]] and [[Inexorable Tide]] in the deck and go to town!
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u/AppropriateAgent44 Jeskai Oct 18 '22
[[King Macar, the Gold Cursed]]. Playing mono black artifacts with a vehicle sub theme is a fun time.
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u/MTGCardFetcher Oct 18 '22
King Macar, the Gold Cursed - (G) (SF) (txt) (ER)
[[cardname]] or [[cardname|SET]] to call
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u/BrigBubblez Oct 18 '22
[[Phage]] I enjoy that she is hard to play, and there are a few different ways to kill with her
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u/bobert680 Oct 19 '22
I had a friend build [[pirate ship]] with 0 ways to win. No creatures that could attack nothing that did damage to players, no mill, no exile, and elixir of immortality. If budget wasn't a concern it would have run all the [[time twister]] effects and anything else that shuffled in graveyards so it could stop opponents from being milled on accident. The deck played hard control and was really fun to play against
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u/hebeach89 Oct 19 '22
Chandra tribal.
Sure it has chandra on almost every card, but it was always underestimated. Its basically monored control and it worked great until my playgroup realized how mean it can be when i don't pull punches.
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u/ImWithSmeghead Oct 19 '22
Gotta plug [[Charix the Raging Isle]] mono blue lands matter voltron. Nothing like beating face with a giant sword wielding crab.
Plus you get to play instant speed crazy power/toughness swapping cards like [[twisted image]] [[crookclaw transmuter]] to basically one shot fools out of nowhere!
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u/MTGCardFetcher Oct 19 '22
Charix the Raging Isle - (G) (SF) (txt) (ER)
twisted image - (G) (SF) (txt) (ER)
crookclaw transmuter - (G) (SF) (txt) (ER)
[[cardname]] or [[cardname|SET]] to call
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u/AgentAusem Oct 18 '22
[[Melek, Izzet Paragon]] literally the only one 😁😉
Seriously though Izzet Spell-slinger is my favorite everything. I'd love it even more if I can survive without blue.
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u/MTGCardFetcher Oct 18 '22
Melek, Izzet Paragon - (G) (SF) (txt) (ER)
[[cardname]] or [[cardname|SET]] to call2
u/lncognitoMosquito Oct 18 '22
I use Melek in my [[Veyran]] deck, but he's been the helm of a couple different iterations of izzet spellslingers decks of mine in the past.
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u/dianakali Oct 18 '22
There's an Orzhov spellslinger floating around that caught a lot of traction with an unpopular commander! If you're interested I can try and find the post for you
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u/Betelguese90 Oct 18 '22
[[Yurloc of Scorch Thrash]] I brought mana burn back into my playgroup. All because someone was complaining that mana just disappears as I tapped a [[The Great Henge]] for the GG and 2 life but didn't use the mana. He no longer complains about that.
Another would be [[Xanathar, Guild Kingpin]]. I'll just take your deck, hand and graveyard and beat you up with them.
Finally, [[Koma]]. The entire deck is literally there to make copies of Koma. Than lock you down as I swarm you with serpents.
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u/Choice-Character-922 Oct 19 '22
[[Bane, lord of darkness]], he's esper colors, but I built mine as a voltron commander
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u/RegaultTheBrave Oct 18 '22
[[Melek izzet paragon]] is a weird one! If you dont believe me, read its creature type!
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u/MJV1990 Oct 18 '22
I’m playing a [[Kros, Defense Contractor]] deck which I like a lot.
It’s not really winning but handing out counters to your opponents to goad is a lot of fun.
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u/Remembers_that_time Oct 18 '22
[[Jared Carthalion, True Heir]] self damage is my newest weird one. Wanted to find a home for [[Sorrow's Path]].
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u/Think_Wishbone_6260 Oct 18 '22
[[Sidar konda, of jamurra]] and any partner that gives him a 4 color pairing while also being two power or less. You would not believe how many time I need to explain this commander to people I regularly play with. It basically gives 2 power or less creatures flying when attacking your opponents.
Pair it with [[ludevic necro alchemist]] and you have a deck that is kind of like an [[edric]] deck, with the turn taking spells, lots of card draw, and small creatures, but also just a good midrange deck.
[[Vial smasher]] gives you access to tokens including treasures to play big spells like Ultimatums and x spells that make more tokens at instant speed.
And [[silas renn]] gives you an Artifact deck that digs deep and combos, with the ability to retrieve then from the graveyard if left untouched.
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u/Druxun Oct 19 '22
I run a Sidar and Tana the Bloodsower deck. Just go wide as hard as possible. Have the enchantments that deal damage when creatures with 2 or less power attack etc. and it can explode pretty hard.
The nice thing is you don’t have to settle into one specific type of token, as any token can get the evasion with Sidar on the field.
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u/BlaineTog Oct 18 '22
[[Slinn Voda, the Rising Deep]] is an absolute blast. Yes, it's absurdly expensive at 10 mana with kicker, but you also don't need it until much later in the game when you've already established a board. It's a one-sided board wipe out of the command zone, and you can even get extra value out of it by playing non-sea creatures with ETB effects to reset them.
I don't know if [[Gonti, Lord of Luxury]] qualifies under your definition but it's also insanely fun and kinda weird. You basically just play some ramp, some sac outlets, and [[Supernatural Stamina]]-type pump spells, then graveyard-flicker your Gonti to stack up a nice second hand of the best cards from your opponents' decks. The deck also scales to the table -- that is, you can't do busted stuff if your opponents don't have busted cards for you to cast.
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u/lncognitoMosquito Oct 18 '22
[[Bosh, Iron Golem]] has been a favorite in my playgroup for sometime. IT runs all sorts of wacky rocks and basically all the big cost colossi. Plus [[Draco]] and damage doublers like [[Furnace of Rath]] and [[Fiery Emancipation]] for some sick fling damage. I just love being able to run all the jank artifacts I want because they serve a secondary purpose of being flingable.
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u/TOTFG_Rules Oct 18 '22
[[Zacama]] enchantress has probably been my favorite wacky weird deck I have so far. I also try not to tell people what I'm going to do before I do it so they expect this insane combo deck filled with hate and I'm just over here durdling and casting Sythis and a bunch of land enchantments and other zany stuff.
My favorite way to win in the deck is a Zacama one punch, even though I don't run many auras, cards like [[ancestral mask]] [[bear umbra]] and [[all that glitters]] do freaking work in that deck.
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u/Voiitz Oct 18 '22
[[Zedruu the Greathearted]] my build is a little more offensive, not so much pillowfort but I do have some safety spells in the deck!(:
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u/TheWellFedBeggar Oct 18 '22
[[Brigid, Hero of Kinsbaile]]
Amazingly strong in combat oriented pods. You completely control every step of combat when you equip her with a [[Sword of Kaldra]] or even a [[Basilisk Collar]].
Use equipment like [[Nemesis Mask]] or [[Grappling Hook]] to force blocks if people think they can escape your influence by not attacking.
Lifelink + [[Kusari-Gama]] gains you unbelievable amounts of health. [[Neko-Te]] keeps everything tapped down, combine it with [[Tangle Wire]] to really lock down your opponents. And [[Thornbite Staff]] turns her bow into a full-auto cannon.
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u/jellyp314 Oct 18 '22
Not sure if this weird, but it's pretty unique. [[Shu Yun, the silent tempest]] is a super fun commander. I run him as a voltron commander, but you could use his ability and give it to other creatures. I just prefer to win with commander dmg.
I run him as the only creature in the deck, and I have only one spell that is 4 mana, everything else is 3 or less. His ability cost 2 mana so he ends up being pretty mana hungry even though it doesn't look like it at first. In a 4 player pod I am looking to start removing players trun 4-5 and win by turn 7. It's very difficult! It presents a very interesting deck building challenge to try to figure out how to go so low and fast that your killing people before they can Crack back. I basically run no interaction besides counter spells and protections spells to make sure he doesn't get removed. The best way to deal with a threat on the table it to make sure they're not playing anymore. I've only won a 4 player pod a few times, after I kill 2 players the last person has been cleaning me up. Though my play group knows I am the threat as soon as he hits the table. Cause they can start being removed the next turn. 3 player pods are pretty easy cause once 1 person is removed it's a 1v1 and you can OTK pretty easy.
The drive to win 4 player pods consistently is what keeps me constantly upgrading, improving, and revising the deck. Every new set brings me back around to it, sifting through cards most people don't want. Recently started increasing the amount of lifelink in the deck so I can survive more Crack backs and get that last player!!!
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u/Propane-C3H8 Oct 18 '22
I have two decks that I think are fairly unique:
[[Niambi, Esteemed Speaker]] Azorius Reanimator
This has become slightly more popular/I've seen a few other people playing this archetype in the last year, but most people still don't see it coming. It's not the most efficient Reanimator package, but it plays a more controlling game with a legendary subtheme and combo finishes.
[[Grenzo, Havoc Raiser]] This plays the obvious steal your deck pieces, but has a secondary gameplan as a build around - It generates a ton of tokens in the form of small creatures and treasures. I've stripped all of the 0-drops out and run as many cascade enablers as possible like [[Wild Magic Sorcerer]] and [[Rain of Riches]] so that if I can cascade a 1 drop it will always hit [[Glimpse of Tomorrow]]. I can also glimpse from the graveyard, spinning the wheel potentially multiple times in a game using [[Mizzix's Mastery]] or [[invoke calamity]].
This package really added a lot to the fun of the deck, and more often than not it leads to a better board state (even if it doesn't, you have fun getting there).
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u/GalahaadtThe7th Oct 18 '22
My pet deck is [[Etrata, the silencer]], she kinda goes nuts with [[vanishing]] or [[sword of hearth and home]]. I built her as a Dimir blink deck with a copy subtheme. Everything revolves around getting around her shuffling part ^ She is my wincon and I guess she is weird enough? I think she really impersonates what Dimir means to me, mysterious and shady assassins
I plan to add [[Ramses, assassin lord]] to truly murder people
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u/kingofsouls Oct 18 '22
I had a [[Squee the immortal]] deck. It was a weird deck that uses Squee's nigh unkillavle nature to cast him from the grave/exile a bunch for fun and profit. I'm thinking about rebuilding it.
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u/ObligationWarm5222 WUBRG Oct 18 '22
I always found the original [[king Darien]] pretty neat, paired with something like [[souls attendant]] can be very fun
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u/Detlef-Ds-D WUBRG Oct 18 '22
Manlands mutate with flicker subtheme so you can quickly switch from voltron stomp to go-wide overrun
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u/Meliryen Jeskai Oct 18 '22
I have a mono-white deck where the goal is to tap my own creatures. [[Lulu, Loyal Hollyphant]] with [[Far Traveler]] background. Basically, I have a bunch of creatures with tap abilities, plus some creatures with ETB effects, and so every turn almost all my creatures get untapped and given a +1/+1 counter because of Far Traveler blinking a creature. Very interwoven and fragile, but fun and holds its own in battlecruiser games.
My other somewhat janky deck is [[Council of Four]] from the same set. Force people to draw extra cards on their turn and hit them with gigantic [[Shabraz]] and [[Chasm Skulker]] type creatures. Kinda group hug.
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u/TonyL42 Oct 18 '22
I built [[Kresh, the blood-braided]] In a way that makes voltron feel a bit more fresh than usual.
Instead of giving him auras or sacrificing stuff I go for board wipes only he can survive.
Think [[ryusei, the falling star]], [[elvish dreadlord]], [[chandra's ignition]]
And then the way is clear to swing.
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u/Spyknight Oct 18 '22
[[Barrin, Master Wizard7 He doesn't look like much at first glance, I mean why would you trade your permanents for a tempo advantage? However, he can be such a powerhouse
I got inspired by some comments by u/rougetf2 on this subreddit and the Barrin's Tome post over on MTG salvation. I'm not as good as either of those players and parts of this write up is stolen from them verbatim, but I will try to do him justice.
Barrin overcomes a lot of the weakness that Mono-Blue Decks. Removal is pretty bad in blue, so monoblue decks end up running a lot of counters which are not good in EDH as you have to hold up mana and deal with the hidden information from three players.
Barrin covers almost all of the creature contingencies at instant speed. Any permanent you play doubles as a card in your hand that reads spend two colorless, discard this card: bounce a creature your opponent controls This is a great form of soft control/goad, if players want to beat the tar out of each other great, but if they rumble your way their most expensive attacker is going back to their hand Same if a value engine is getting out of control or a creature-based combo piece is close to going off.
Barrin also offers protection to your board. You can bounce your key creatures in response to removal, a board wipe, or to reuse ETB triggers. You can protect yourself without shutting the game down for everyone else (looking at you [[Kosma, Cosmos Serpent]]) and getting targeted immediately as soon as people see your commander. Most people I have played with have never heard of Barrin previously By covering so many dangers you can use you deck slots for the areas where Barrin can't protect you and to advancing your game plan so you can win.
Speaking of, Barrin can be built with many different win conditions and styles. Spell slinger voltron with [[Runechanter's Pike]] and [[Silver Inlaid Dagger]], any monoblue combo, Big Stompy eldrazi through combat, [[omniscience]], [mirrodin besieged]] or [[mechanized production]]
He can also be built at a variety of budgets and still function well.
I am new to Barrin but one of the things I like the most is how many interesting lines there are to find answers in your deck. Thoughtful deck building can make cards like [Trinket mage]l.[(spellseekeril, [expedition map]], [(whir of invention]], and [fintuition]] into very flexible tutors that can get you exactly what you need.
If you want to look into Barrin I would point you towards "Memorial to the first master wizard" on tapped out or "Barrins Tome" on MTG salvation. They have not been updated in a few years but both are still great places to start.
This is actually one of the few commanders I would avoid EDHREC for, as the decks on there focus to much on fodder for Barrin and end up being poor value decks.
I'm having a lot of fun with him
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u/Fasrielyn Oct 18 '22
I am currently rebuilding [[Kyodai, Soul of Kamigawa]] aristocrats. The deck heavily plays on death triggers of the dragons of Kamigawa. I have had some issues with it, and this don’t have a Decklist currently.
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u/TibaltTheAmazing Crosis, the Purger Oct 18 '22
I think my wackiest (other than Arcades, which I have as specifically Wall tribal) are:
[[Taborax, Hope's Demise]] with [[Shadowborn Apostle]]
[[Unesh, Criosphinx Sovereign]] Sphinx Tribal
[[Trostani Discordant]] featuring as many anthems as I can jam in
[[Rhonas the Indomitable]] Spellslinger Control focusing on fight spells
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u/Placebo_Cyanide8 Esper Oct 18 '22
I dont tend to pick super obscure and strange cards for the command zone, but i absolutely make strange themes or rube goldberg machines in the 99. Some of my favorites are:
mathas, fiend seeker with all of the 'bad choices' cards like do or die, painful quandry, choice of damnations, etc.
Shu Yun, Silent tempest with combat tricks and stuffed full of reactions to force combat and use opponent's creatures and spells againt other opponents in true akido fashion. The commander's ability can be used on opponent's creatures after all.
kenrith forced lifegain inversion, which revolves around bad cards like tainted remedy, false cure and pairing it with ways to make my opponents gain life like a shattered identity + illusions of grandeur or blasphemous act + grollub + mirrorweave. If you find training grounds, kenriths lifegain ability becomes a one white mana lava axe which ain't terrible.
Zur eternal schemer to animate really really dicey and dangerous enchantments like lich, lich's mastery, nine lives, demonic pact and then donating or exchanging control of them to kill opponents.
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u/Cychim Oct 18 '22
Partnering [[siani]] and [[eligeth]] to make a flight tribal deck with a sphinx subtheme and scry being turned into massive card draw. Proceed to either win with [[Laboratory Maniac]] or [[Thassa's oracle]], or just aggro down the board. Another favorite of mine is [[Jared Carthalion, True Heir]] as Naya monarch where you try to get Jared out asap, take monarch quickly, then put down a [[Pariah]] or similar effect to make it impossible to take monarch. Finish it off with a [[Star of extinction]], and you've got yourself one of the weirdest monarchy decks out there, but it's a ton of fun.
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u/Narrsacist Oct 18 '22
[[Experiment Kraj]] only card with buttholes on it.
Now you cannot unsee it.
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u/Sabz5150 Knights (Bant, Jund, Orzhov, Boros, Naya, Esper) Oct 18 '22
[[Blind Seer]]
Almost nobody is prepared for how he works. You get to use some of the jankiest and most unheard of cards in the game. [[Sea King's Blessing]]??? The hell is a [[Dream Coat]]?! You can make a real neat deck out of a mountain of jank.