Okay, so I’ve been wracking my brain the last couple weeks going back and forth on different strategies and commanders for my next EDH deck, but I’m still undecided! I’m hoping for some feedback on any of the cards or commanders that I’ll explain below to help me move in the direction I think I wanna go and with which commander. Thanks in advance for all the advice!
I have a small handful of EDH decks, but don’t yet have a “big mana ramp” type as green and black are the least represented color in my decks that I’ve built so far (one instance of each). Thinking about my next commander deck, I’d like to see about changing that, and I prefer commanders that are a little underplayed or unique. I approached this a little differently (which is probably why I need some assistance) by thinking of ways to win with big mana ramp first (so thought of win conditions first), then perused commanders to determine which might get me to those win conditions in a way that I’d like to play – I usually do it the other way around by choosing a commander that I find really appealing or fun and building win conditions around it.
I’m a sucker for janky combos and alternate ways to win, and I came across Spawnsire of Ulamog. This seems like it would be really fun to drop handfuls of eldrazi in my causal playgroup. Helix Pinnacle also came to mind since I was thinking about working with green.
With those two cards in mind, I looked at and spent time brewing some stuff for a handful of commanders, but these are the ones that stood out to me or ones that I kept coming back to and my ideas for each:
--Artifact or colorless creature theme since she makes artifact tokens (All is Dust[/], Trading Post to get back important artifacts like Darksteel Forge or Wurmcoil Engine with her tokens, etc.)
I really like the unorthodox idea of artifact synergies in green, and I like how Oviya can be an unassuming underdog, but still pack some punches, with unique stuff that mono green decks usually don’t do. The idea here would be to use land ramp and mana doublers to feed into her own abilities to make creatures, play some choice artifact creatures and artifact synergies, maybe a control element here or then start dumping mana into those win conditions.
--Big mana ramp build with creature focus – mana dorks and druids
--Same possible green control elements as mentioned in Oviya
I love the art on this card! With Seton, I imagine I could rely less on the mana doublers since creatures would be tapping for green mana instead, and instead include that heavy druid tribal. One thing I don’t like is that most of the druids to use are also Elf, and I see those cards all the time in elfball decks, decks that seem fairly straightforward and boring to me – not as unique as I might be going for when half my deck is played in any other elf tribal deck just the same. I dunno, I’ve never actually seen a Seton deck played, so hopefully someone can shed some light on this?
--Big mana ramp with land ramp, doublers, and Thrasios’s ability
--Creature based with ETB effects
--Possible Merfolk tribal?
--Top deck manipulation and landfall?
--Better card draw and control elements with blue
I’ve brewed Thrasios before, and every time I come back to him I find myself throwing a bunch of combos in, especially if partnered with Kydele, Chosen of Kruphix. Draw at least 4 cards in a turn and use Umbral Mantle or the like to generate infinite colorless mana with Kydele, then use that infinite mana with Thrasios’s ability to run through your entire deck for the win condition – which is just the basic with these two as I’m sure I’ve seen tons of other ways to combo off with them like Rocket Launcher, etc. This definitely seems like a consistent way to use the Spawnsire and Helix Pinnacle (infinite colorless), but I’m really hesitant if I’d enjoy a heavy combo deck since I actually like to play games out at least a little bit so all the decks have a chance to do their “thing”. If I relied on this (Kydele+Thrasios partnership), then I could see it getting boring fast or getting me booted out of games fast, neither of which is fun. I thought that using only Thrasios would be okay, and it would force me to use a creature-based strategy to defend myself or even pull off wins through combat damage with big green and blue creatures a-la classic Overrun] effects – either as Merfolk tribal or Simic goodstuff – while using Thrasios to advance the land ramp strategy to dump into the win conditions.
I think a 5-color deck would be awesome. I’ve always shied from it because I don’t have all the expensive land cards like all the shocks/duals/fetches (just a few), but I think Ramos is a little more flexible about the mana base because as long as you play a few cards, you can get mana of all colors from himself and you can spend any 6 mana to get him out. I didn’t really think of a theme or synergy, but it’s 5 colors so anything goes! I do think +1 counters seems to be a more consistent way to ramp up with Ramos, though, and utilize the couple win condition cards I’m thinking of. Plus, if he gets big enough, might be able to use him as a win condition too.
What do y’all think? Does anyone have experience using any of these commanders, particularly as ramp elements? What are some good strategies you’ve found with them in regards to ramp or otherwise?
I’d definitely consider other win conditions once I’ve settled on a commander, but would hopefully fit at least the Spawnsire and Helix Pinncale.
Oh, I didn’t think about, nor am I too familiar with Sasaya, Orochi Ascendant, but I can see why you suggested her, DirkGently! She’s like a doubler on steroids! Thinking about Sasaya, I feel like I’d have to go “all in” on the big mana route and would use a good portion of the deck with land tutor cards if I want to consistently flip her, which seems less flexible in a way than the other commanders I’ve thought of. Plus, although Sasaya seems less known around my meta, I’m sure one read of her ability by the table and she would seem like a threat. Nothing good can come with that kind of ramp accessible from the command zone, whereas something like Oviya can fly under the radar a bit while I work on the game plan and has other utilities.
Thanks for the S-Thrasios feedback, JDviant. That’s why I appeal to Thrasios with this type of strategy (big mana) and won cons – he won’t require much support himself to get it going, I agree. I’d likely include Heartstone and Training Grounds in a Thrasios build, but if I’m ramping up a lot in other ways, then he becomes a great mana dump engine to further than plan while digging deeper into the deck – seems really synergistic and good to me! I feel I’d have to be careful and more creative than to shove Simic good stuff in with him though.
5 color just seems so tempting, and so daunting at the same time because I’d be considering wayyyy more cards and possible sub themes. Too flexible to nail a coherent 5C down maybe? I like to draw from all the available colors fairly evenly with my commanders, so feel like I might just be playing green or G/X if half the 5C decks ends up being green anyway.
I’m a sucker for janky combos and alternate ways to win, and I came across Spawnsire of Ulamog. This seems like it would be really fun to drop handfuls of eldrazi in my causal playgroup.
Unless they've changed things, officially, wishes and things like Spawnsire can only search for things in your ten card sideboard, and your group has to be playing with a sideboard, which in a singleton format cannot contain duplicates of any card in the sideboard or deck. Some groups choose to ignore this, so your mileage may vary.
I’m a sucker for janky combos and alternate ways to win, and I came across Spawnsire of Ulamog. This seems like it would be really fun to drop handfuls of eldrazi in my causal playgroup.
Unless they've changed things, officially, wishes and things like Spawnsire can only search for things in your ten card sideboard, and your group has to be playing with a sideboard, which in a singleton format cannot contain duplicates of any card in the sideboard or deck. Some groups choose to ignore this, so your mileage may vary.
Oracle says that in casual, with Spawnsire, you can pull as many of cards you own outside the game and in tournaments and sanctioned events a player is restricted to sideboards. My playgroup is very casual and I would intend it as casual, which is why I tagged the thread as casual. I wouldn't intend to use it in a group - or ever really play any game in a group - that plays non-casual with sideboards. But sure, I'll keep 10 individual Eldrazi with Annihilator in the deck box juuuuuuuust in case there's that guy or gal at the table, in which case all those Eldrazi are coming for him or her first.
@BlackVise, your Ramos build sounds pretty fun, and I didn't even think that it would open me up to any colored flying bomb to rein upon the table. Now realizing that the three different colored pips aren't as scary when Ramos gives you two of each color each turn (or more if built that way).
I have a small handful of EDH decks, but don’t yet have a “big mana ramp” type as green and black are the least represented color in my decks that I’ve built so far (one instance of each). Thinking about my next commander deck, I’d like to see about changing that, and I prefer commanders that are a little underplayed or unique. I approached this a little differently (which is probably why I need some assistance) by thinking of ways to win with big mana ramp first (so thought of win conditions first), then perused commanders to determine which might get me to those win conditions in a way that I’d like to play – I usually do it the other way around by choosing a commander that I find really appealing or fun and building win conditions around it.
I’m a sucker for janky combos and alternate ways to win, and I came across Spawnsire of Ulamog. This seems like it would be really fun to drop handfuls of eldrazi in my causal playgroup. Helix Pinnacle also came to mind since I was thinking about working with green.
With those two cards in mind, I looked at and spent time brewing some stuff for a handful of commanders, but these are the ones that stood out to me or ones that I kept coming back to and my ideas for each:
Oviya Pashiri, Sage Lifecrafter:
--Big mana ramp build with some mana doublers (Vernal Bloom, Zendikar Resurgent, Caged Sun, etc.)
--Artifact or colorless creature theme since she makes artifact tokens (All is Dust[/], Trading Post to get back important artifacts like Darksteel Forge or Wurmcoil Engine with her tokens, etc.)
--Maybe some green control elements a-la Hall of Gemstone or (if I feel particularly mean) Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger?
I really like the unorthodox idea of artifact synergies in green, and I like how Oviya can be an unassuming underdog, but still pack some punches, with unique stuff that mono green decks usually don’t do. The idea here would be to use land ramp and mana doublers to feed into her own abilities to make creatures, play some choice artifact creatures and artifact synergies, maybe a control element here or then start dumping mana into those win conditions.
Seton, Krosan Protector
--Big mana ramp build with creature focus – mana dorks and druids
--Same possible green control elements as mentioned in Oviya
I love the art on this card! With Seton, I imagine I could rely less on the mana doublers since creatures would be tapping for green mana instead, and instead include that heavy druid tribal. One thing I don’t like is that most of the druids to use are also Elf, and I see those cards all the time in elfball decks, decks that seem fairly straightforward and boring to me – not as unique as I might be going for when half my deck is played in any other elf tribal deck just the same. I dunno, I’ve never actually seen a Seton deck played, so hopefully someone can shed some light on this?
Thrasios, Triton Hero
--Big mana ramp with land ramp, doublers, and Thrasios’s ability
--Creature based with ETB effects
--Possible Merfolk tribal?
--Top deck manipulation and landfall?
--Better card draw and control elements with blue
I’ve brewed Thrasios before, and every time I come back to him I find myself throwing a bunch of combos in, especially if partnered with Kydele, Chosen of Kruphix. Draw at least 4 cards in a turn and use Umbral Mantle or the like to generate infinite colorless mana with Kydele, then use that infinite mana with Thrasios’s ability to run through your entire deck for the win condition – which is just the basic with these two as I’m sure I’ve seen tons of other ways to combo off with them like Rocket Launcher, etc. This definitely seems like a consistent way to use the Spawnsire and Helix Pinnacle (infinite colorless), but I’m really hesitant if I’d enjoy a heavy combo deck since I actually like to play games out at least a little bit so all the decks have a chance to do their “thing”. If I relied on this (Kydele+Thrasios partnership), then I could see it getting boring fast or getting me booted out of games fast, neither of which is fun. I thought that using only Thrasios would be okay, and it would force me to use a creature-based strategy to defend myself or even pull off wins through combat damage with big green and blue creatures a-la classic Overrun] effects – either as Merfolk tribal or Simic goodstuff – while using Thrasios to advance the land ramp strategy to dump into the win conditions.
Ramos, Dragon Engine
--Ramp with Ramos’s ability
I think a 5-color deck would be awesome. I’ve always shied from it because I don’t have all the expensive land cards like all the shocks/duals/fetches (just a few), but I think Ramos is a little more flexible about the mana base because as long as you play a few cards, you can get mana of all colors from himself and you can spend any 6 mana to get him out. I didn’t really think of a theme or synergy, but it’s 5 colors so anything goes! I do think +1 counters seems to be a more consistent way to ramp up with Ramos, though, and utilize the couple win condition cards I’m thinking of. Plus, if he gets big enough, might be able to use him as a win condition too.
What do y’all think? Does anyone have experience using any of these commanders, particularly as ramp elements? What are some good strategies you’ve found with them in regards to ramp or otherwise?
I’d definitely consider other win conditions once I’ve settled on a commander, but would hopefully fit at least the Spawnsire and Helix Pinncale.
Current EDH
UThassa, God of the Sea devotion control
WRGTana, the Bloodsower & Sidar Kondo of Jamuraa partners weenie tokens
UUnesh, Criosphinx Sovereign Sphinx tribal
WUTaigam, Ojutai Master tokens on the rebound spellslinger
GRhonas the Indomitable green creature beats
UGRashmi, Eternities Crafter ETB tribal
Retired EDH
WURGKynaios and Tiro of Meletis group hug
URThe Locust God draw swarm
UTalrand, Sky Summoner funsies blue spells
WBObzedat, Ghost Council life gain/drain
EDH Primers
Phelddagrif - Zirilan
EDH
Thrasios+Bruse - Pang - Sasaya - Wydwen - Feather - Rona - Toshiro - Sylvia+Khorvath - Geth - QMarchesa - Firesong - Athreos - Arixmethes - Isperia - Etali - Silas+Sidar - Saskia - Virtus+Gorm - Kynaios - Naban - Aryel - Mizzix - Kazuul - Tymna+Kraum - Sidar+Tymna - Ayli - Gwendlyn - Phelddagrif 4 - Liliana - Kaervek - Phelddagrif 3 - Mairsil - Scarab - Child - Phenax - Shirei - Thada - Depala - Circu - Kytheon - GrenzoHR - Phelddagrif - Reyhan+Kraum - Toshiro - Varolz - Nin - Ojutai - Tasigur - Zedruu - Uril - Edric - Wort - Zurgo - Nahiri - Grenzo - Kozilek - Yisan - Ink-Treader - Yisan - Brago - Sidisi - Toshiro - Alexi - Sygg - Brimaz - Sek'Kuar - Marchesa - Vish Kal - Iroas - Phelddagrif - Ephara - Derevi - Glissa - Wanderer - Saffi - Melek - Xiahou Dun - Lazav - Lin Sivvi - Zirilan - Glissa
PDH - Drake - Graverobber - Izzet GM - Tallowisp - Symbiote Brawl - Feather - Ugin - Jace - Scarab - Angrath - Vraska - Kumena Oathbreaker - Wrenn&6
Thanks for the S-Thrasios feedback, JDviant. That’s why I appeal to Thrasios with this type of strategy (big mana) and won cons – he won’t require much support himself to get it going, I agree. I’d likely include Heartstone and Training Grounds in a Thrasios build, but if I’m ramping up a lot in other ways, then he becomes a great mana dump engine to further than plan while digging deeper into the deck – seems really synergistic and good to me! I feel I’d have to be careful and more creative than to shove Simic good stuff in with him though.
5 color just seems so tempting, and so daunting at the same time because I’d be considering wayyyy more cards and possible sub themes. Too flexible to nail a coherent 5C down maybe? I like to draw from all the available colors fairly evenly with my commanders, so feel like I might just be playing green or G/X if half the 5C decks ends up being green anyway.
Current EDH
UThassa, God of the Sea devotion control
WRGTana, the Bloodsower & Sidar Kondo of Jamuraa partners weenie tokens
UUnesh, Criosphinx Sovereign Sphinx tribal
WUTaigam, Ojutai Master tokens on the rebound spellslinger
GRhonas the Indomitable green creature beats
UGRashmi, Eternities Crafter ETB tribal
Retired EDH
WURGKynaios and Tiro of Meletis group hug
URThe Locust God draw swarm
UTalrand, Sky Summoner funsies blue spells
WBObzedat, Ghost Council life gain/drain
2023 Average Peasant Cube|and Discussion
Because I have more decks than fit in a signature
Useful Resources:
MTGSalvation tags
EDHREC
ManabaseCrafter
Oracle says that in casual, with Spawnsire, you can pull as many of cards you own outside the game and in tournaments and sanctioned events a player is restricted to sideboards. My playgroup is very casual and I would intend it as casual, which is why I tagged the thread as casual. I wouldn't intend to use it in a group - or ever really play any game in a group - that plays non-casual with sideboards. But sure, I'll keep 10 individual Eldrazi with Annihilator in the deck box juuuuuuuust in case there's that guy or gal at the table, in which case all those Eldrazi are coming for him or her first.
@BlackVise, your Ramos build sounds pretty fun, and I didn't even think that it would open me up to any colored flying bomb to rein upon the table. Now realizing that the three different colored pips aren't as scary when Ramos gives you two of each color each turn (or more if built that way).
Current EDH
UThassa, God of the Sea devotion control
WRGTana, the Bloodsower & Sidar Kondo of Jamuraa partners weenie tokens
UUnesh, Criosphinx Sovereign Sphinx tribal
WUTaigam, Ojutai Master tokens on the rebound spellslinger
GRhonas the Indomitable green creature beats
UGRashmi, Eternities Crafter ETB tribal
Retired EDH
WURGKynaios and Tiro of Meletis group hug
URThe Locust God draw swarm
UTalrand, Sky Summoner funsies blue spells
WBObzedat, Ghost Council life gain/drain