Battle for Zendikar / Oath of the Gatewatch Update (and it's a big one)
+ Drana, Liberator of Malakir
- Iroas God of Victory
Drana has great synergy with Alesha as she has two power and pumps most of your team before regular damage when returned or played normally. This is a form of 'protection' for your creatures as well, but it can also be a win condition with enough creatures on the board.
+ Painful Truths
- Mentor of the Meek
Mentor is not a bad card but its relatively slow and requires six mana (or five + Alesha trigger) to beat out Painful Truths, which is why I've decided to switch the two.
+ Shambling Vents
- Lavaclaw Reaches
Shambling Vents having lifelink makes it a more useful manland for this deck as there are a number of cards in the deck that cost life. White is also relatively more important than red.
+ Eldrazi Displacer
- Restoration Angel
I think this is very close - Restoration Angel allows for more combos and is more mana efficient on the first try, on the other hand Eldrazi Displacer can take over games through reusing its ability. I think the threat Displacer poses with the many ETB cards to take over a game as well as its greater all round utility make it the better card. The list has enough colorless sources as well to be able to use the ability consistently.
+ Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
- Goblin Rabblemaster
Both produce tokens but Kalitas has lifelink and has an ability that disrupts a fair number of decks. His sacrifice ability is just gravy to enable him to become a huge threat if you have some creatures to spare.
+ Revenge of the Meek
- Shadows of the Past
I found that Shadows of the Past was good but at its best if I was already winning. If I had little on the board (and thus little control over what dies) it became quite bad. Revenge of the Meek can help you catch up or seal the win, and with nearly all the creatures in the list being 3 power or less (excluding situations with Archangel of Thune / Drana, Liberator of Malakir) this list can capitalize on it greatly.
+ Goblin Sharpshooter
- Malicious Affliction
I found that the deck can have issues dealing with large numbers of tokens or small utility creatures - something which Malicious Affliction doesn't really solve. Through token sacrifices the Sharpshooter can also deal with larger creatures. It can also serve as a win condition in a variety of combos with infinite dies triggers giving it combo potential. And lastly its a goblin and a 1/1 so it can be found by both Imperial Recruiter and Goblin Matron.
I play some of the cards that you are adding in. Drana, Liberator of Malakir has been great for me. She is a relevant threat and creates a respectable clock. The only thing I don't like about her is that I takes 1 round of attacks to get her going. But from there is all gravy.
If you are looking for a substitute for Mentor of the Meek, I would recommend Read the Bones over Painful Truths. They cost the same mana, but with Read the bones, you can see 4 cards for 2 life. Painful Truths caps at 3 cards.
Siege-Gang Commander has been okay, not great. I have never wished I had him in any situation, but I'm never upset to have him as I am developing my board.
I am most interested in hearing how Eldrazi Displacer plays for you.
Lastly, do you have problems continually keeping a full hand or drawing into threats? I feel like I cant draw enough. My meta is lots of aggro decks with lots of disruption so, its not uncommon for my skullclamp to only last a round or 2. For that reason, I'm not sure I could part with Mentor of the Meek and Shadows of the Past.
I usually try to play a bit conservatively if I'm not comboing off, so with the card draw currently in the list I'm generally quite happy. Painful Truths is generally better than Read the Bones - the only time in which Read the Bones is better is if the top two cards are both not good, in which case you can draw the next two cards (of which you would only have drawn one with Painful Truths). If one of the top two is good, Read the Bones will dig as deep but draw one less. If the top two are both good, you dig less deep and you draw one less. But drawing one extra is almost always better I think.
If you feel like you are not drawing sufficient cards some other good additions can be Night's Whisper / Sign in Blood, and Humble Defector.
I would run Oreskos Explorer over/alongside Knight of the White Orchid in multiplayer commander. Sure, you lose First Strike, but the opportunity to grab 2+ lands is just too good
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Playing with proxied cards at sanctioned events is good, actually.
Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet has been solid as a combination of hatebear, threat and token creator. Eldrazi Displacer I'm less happy with - the recent change in the mana rules (losing the 5c lands) means I can activate it less consistently - I'm thinking about switching it back to Restoration Angel.
Serra Ascendant is very powerful but doesn't have many synergies with the deck. If you face a lot of storm decks Eidolon of Rhetoric and Ethersworn Canonist are both solid options (although I like the 2 power and lower cmc of the Canonist better). Leonin Arbiter is a powerful hatebear but since we also play a large number of tutors I'm not sure it's at its best here. Liliana of the Veil I used to run and its a solid card to run because the discard is useful as is the removal. I removed it as Liliana, Heretical Healer has a slightly similar role but is multifunctional. I also think with the printing of Narset, the Harbinger Liliana of the Veil is unnecessary here as Narset also functions as a discard outlet but also loots, it has a better removal option covering enchantments and tapping artifacts as well, and it has an ultimate that is within reach and has great synergy with the deck.
I have never played with Attrition but it indeed has great synergy with Kalitas and is otherwise a functional sac outlet (albeit with mana cost), so if you test it I'm very interested in hearing your experiences with it.
I would run Oreskos Explorer over/alongside Knight of the White Orchid in multiplayer commander. Sure, you lose First Strike, but the opportunity to grab 2+ lands is just too good
The problem with Oreskos Explorer is that it doesn't ramp you and it requires you to be at least 3rd in the turn order for it to be playable on curve (compared with second for Knight) making it worse in my opinion, particularly if you start to factor in recurring knight of the white orchid with Alesha for continuous ramp. I'm unsure if adding it would be too much (with Tithe and Knight already) for the number of plains in the deck; but I should probably try it at some point.
Have you considered running a sunforger package? You already have some potent <4 CMC instants and Sorcs.
Also with the removal of rabblemaster is it still worth running goblin matron, or is she just a means to get kiki to start comboing off?
Sunforger is a great piece of equipment if you're playing in a slower meta, but in a competitive meta it's just much too slow. Goblin Matron is still great for getting Kiki-Jiki as you mentioned - it also gets Murderous Redcap which is important. I'm looking at adding another goblin in though for more consistency.
Okay, I'm really interested in running this or a very similar list as I've fallen in love with how it works. (thanks for the response btw)
My meta is very much less competitive than yours and I'd be interested in running sunforger and some of the associated package (you've already got some really good stuff in here). Is there something you'd cut for it or recommend to cut?
Secondly, why not just run both Rabblemaster and Kalitas? Considering they seemingly have a different role in the list? Rabbles is really aggressive and Kali is grave hate and eventually get's really ig or makes a bunch of 2/2's. You could run both, which would give you an aggro matron choice for fetching.
Also I agree with dropping displacer for resto, plus kiki combo + resto feels really good.
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In response.........Put Sadness on the stack......Resolves?
I never got to abuse Attrition with Kalitas, but I have been having great success with it along side Grave Pact and Dictate of Erebos. It has been an absolute hose to some of my friends grave yard shenanigans that they like to play.
The new Nahiri, the Harbinger has also been something that I was heavily considering on pre-ordering for this deck.
My meta is very much less competitive than yours and I'd be interested in running sunforger and some of the associated package (you've already got some really good stuff in here). Is there something you'd cut for it or recommend to cut?
Going off the OP's list, you could probably get away without using Teysa (I have never found her to be that great), Spirit of the Labyrinth, Or Mana Crypt if you want to make a budget cut. The hatebears are all personal taste in my opinion. So you can use them as you see fit.
Okay, I'm really interested in running this or a very similar list as I've fallen in love with how it works. (thanks for the response btw)
My meta is very much less competitive than yours and I'd be interested in running sunforger and some of the associated package (you've already got some really good stuff in here). Is there something you'd cut for it or recommend to cut?
Secondly, why not just run both Rabblemaster and Kalitas? Considering they seemingly have a different role in the list? Rabbles is really aggressive and Kali is grave hate and eventually get's really ig or makes a bunch of 2/2's. You could run both, which would give you an aggro matron choice for fetching.
Also I agree with dropping displacer for resto, plus kiki combo + resto feels really good.
In a less competitive meta I would cut Cataclysm and some of the combo pieces (Teysa, Loyal Retainers, Murderous Redcap) as they are not as good if you're not comboing out. You could also consider cutting out some additional tutors to create some additional space. The hatebears are meta-dependent but I would imagine in slower metas they can be an even greater help in stopping people from durdling around with tutors or excessive card draw. And other than that I would make some substitutions like removing Vindicate for the new Anguished Unmaking or Utter End.
I think the difficulty is that the decklist is incredibly cramped for space so that I try to only exchange cards in the decklist that have the same function to maintain balance. Goblin Rabblemaster is a great card so I can definitely see re-adding it in the future. I forgot to add but there's also Goblin Sharpshooter for Goblin Matron to fetch.
I took the Goblin package out thus far and am not missing it. Trying to figure out a paper version without the portal cards (Imperial Recruiter, Loyal Retainers, Etc.)
No updates yet, but I'll try to go through some of the cards I've been eyeing.
First off, I can imagine taking out the goblin package only all too well. It takes up a lot of slots and Matron can be a dead card later on. I've kept it in so far as repeatable tutoring is very strong and Kiki-Jiki is key in the deck. I think with the printing of Recruiter of the Guard it's not necessary anymore to play the Matron. Suffice it to say that Recruiter of the Guard is probably the most influential card printed for the list in the last couple of years.
[card]
Aether Revolt:[/card] Restoration Specialist : I like the idea of Restoration Specialist as a 2/1 which can recur both enchantments and artifacts. I think it will get a spot in the list as it's versatility and possibility to generate a 2 for 1 put it way above alternatives. Felidar Guardian - it combos with both Animate Dead and Kiki-Jiki, putting it above Sun Titan I think. It also has niche uses with untapping lands such as Phyrexian Tower in a pinch. Hidden Stockpile - you can make a token every turn if you have a creature/token to start the loop. The scry is a nice touch, but sadly it does require one mana limiting its combo potential. I think this a card you need to play with to judge but it has some potential. Commander 2016 Ravos, Soultender seems to slow and costly (mana wise), but it does have the magical two power so I think it can work well in slower/grindier metas. Tymna the Weaver - I really like her here. She can often draw you 3 cards a turn in a normal game with the number of creatures we play, costs only 3 mana to play and has lifelink (Archangel of Thune synergy). Not sure where to fit it in but it seems strong. Eldritch Moon Selfless Spirit is a strong card against board wipes, so I think it can be a very effective protection creature in the deck. Thalia's Lancers - I think it's too slow in the deck and looking through the decklist it doesn't find to many things that a creature tutor wouldn't. Kaladesh Angel of Invention - this is a bomb in the deck. Being able to produce two tokens on ETB and pumping the entire team is strong and highly unexpected on a 2/1 creature with lifelink on top. I'm not sure if it's better than Drana who has less immediate impact when recurred by Alesha but a cheaper mana cost. But perhaps it's time to just play both. In any case it's a great addition to the deck.
Kambal, Consul of Allocation is another playable hate bear in the deck, but I think it loses out to other options (against storm primarily Ethersworn Canonist).
Aetherworks Marvel - at four mana and no immediate impact it may not be the best card. In a grindier Alesha I think it's a great card though as getting six permanents to be put in the graveyard is not difficult and the ability is very powerful. Conspiracy Sanctum Prelate is a great hate bear for the deck, especially as you can sacrifice it, recur it and reset the number as required.
Both Kaya, Ghost Assassin and Daretti, Ingenious Iconoclast are playable in the deck, but perhaps not the best option. Queen Marchesa is also playable as we can make good use of both the tokens and generally defend the monarch quite well. It has little synergy with comboing though and is relatively slow and risky.
What cards from the last couple of sets have you been playing? Would be great to hear your experiences.
Recently put together a list based off OP's and I'm really enjoying feeling out the deck.
I'm trying some of the newer cards mentioned like Sanctum Prelate and Restoration Specialist. Both have come in handy and helped against combo and with general resilience, respectively. Recruiter of the Guard is obviously a house, but I do wind up disappointed when I really need to tutor up a Fiend Hunter and can't. Another new card, which I haven't seen much discussion on, has been extremely successful for me in creating an engine. That card is Key to the City. It seems to do everything for me, especially if I can keep Alesha around for a few attacks. It lets me get creatures in the yard, it keeps Alesha alive in combat, and at the very least, draws me an extra card each turn. I see a lot of Alesha decks play Reconnaissance, but I feel like that card can be pretty underwhelming. I've found so many lines of play by using the Key, some even without an active commander. I play Victimize and Animate Dead for reanimation spells and sometimes Key to the City is all I need to combo off with Karmic Guide in the early turns.
Another card I really like in this deck is Basilisk Collar. Easily fetchable with Stoneforge Mystic, creates a nasty board lock with Goblin Sharpshooter, and isn't too bad on Alesha, given that she already comes with first strike.
Other useful cards I play are Leyline of the Void and Toxic Deluge, but those are mostly meta calls. I've seen Agent of Erebos used in place of the Leyline since he synergizes better with Alesha, but I feel like most of the time, I'd rather just have the Leyline.
Anyway, this is just my early testing phases with this deck. I played Alesha for a short while as a Tiny Leaders general and really liked her there, so I'm interested to see how I can expand her for Commander.
Hey was hoping this thread could help me. Been playing Alesha for quite a while now but want to push her a bit more towards stax and combo finish, any suggestions of some key cards I may be missing or cards you think just dont fit the build in my list.
SonofaBith - Wizards was so excited about making the packaging for Modern Masters 2 recyclable, they decided to make most of the rares and all but 1 of the UC's recycle-bin ready too. Convenient!
+ Drana, Liberator of Malakir
- Iroas God of Victory
Drana has great synergy with Alesha as she has two power and pumps most of your team before regular damage when returned or played normally. This is a form of 'protection' for your creatures as well, but it can also be a win condition with enough creatures on the board.
+ Painful Truths
- Mentor of the Meek
Mentor is not a bad card but its relatively slow and requires six mana (or five + Alesha trigger) to beat out Painful Truths, which is why I've decided to switch the two.
+ Shambling Vents
- Lavaclaw Reaches
Shambling Vents having lifelink makes it a more useful manland for this deck as there are a number of cards in the deck that cost life. White is also relatively more important than red.
+ Eldrazi Displacer
- Restoration Angel
I think this is very close - Restoration Angel allows for more combos and is more mana efficient on the first try, on the other hand Eldrazi Displacer can take over games through reusing its ability. I think the threat Displacer poses with the many ETB cards to take over a game as well as its greater all round utility make it the better card. The list has enough colorless sources as well to be able to use the ability consistently.
+ Caves of Koilos
- Isolated Chapel
This is mainly an upgrade to have another land that produces colorless mana.
+ Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
- Goblin Rabblemaster
Both produce tokens but Kalitas has lifelink and has an ability that disrupts a fair number of decks. His sacrifice ability is just gravy to enable him to become a huge threat if you have some creatures to spare.
+ Revenge of the Meek
- Shadows of the Past
I found that Shadows of the Past was good but at its best if I was already winning. If I had little on the board (and thus little control over what dies) it became quite bad. Revenge of the Meek can help you catch up or seal the win, and with nearly all the creatures in the list being 3 power or less (excluding situations with Archangel of Thune / Drana, Liberator of Malakir) this list can capitalize on it greatly.
+ Goblin Sharpshooter
- Malicious Affliction
I found that the deck can have issues dealing with large numbers of tokens or small utility creatures - something which Malicious Affliction doesn't really solve. Through token sacrifices the Sharpshooter can also deal with larger creatures. It can also serve as a win condition in a variety of combos with infinite dies triggers giving it combo potential. And lastly its a goblin and a 1/1 so it can be found by both Imperial Recruiter and Goblin Matron.
Lastly I'm looking to add in Siege-Gang Commander, possibly to replace Elspeth, Knight Errant. With Eldrazi Displacer it forms a powerful tandem to produce three tokens for 2C and it's a very powerful card to recur with Alesha.
BRWC Mardu Shops - Tymna and Akiri Artifacts BRWC
If you are looking for a substitute for Mentor of the Meek, I would recommend Read the Bones over Painful Truths. They cost the same mana, but with Read the bones, you can see 4 cards for 2 life. Painful Truths caps at 3 cards.
Siege-Gang Commander has been okay, not great. I have never wished I had him in any situation, but I'm never upset to have him as I am developing my board.
I am most interested in hearing how Eldrazi Displacer plays for you.
Lastly, do you have problems continually keeping a full hand or drawing into threats? I feel like I cant draw enough. My meta is lots of aggro decks with lots of disruption so, its not uncommon for my skullclamp to only last a round or 2. For that reason, I'm not sure I could part with Mentor of the Meek and Shadows of the Past.
Painful Truths is generally better than Read the Bones - the only time in which Read the Bones is better is if the top two cards are both not good, in which case you can draw the next two cards (of which you would only have drawn one with Painful Truths). If one of the top two is good, Read the Bones will dig as deep but draw one less. If the top two are both good, you dig less deep and you draw one less. But drawing one extra is almost always better I think.
If you feel like you are not drawing sufficient cards some other good additions can be Night's Whisper / Sign in Blood, and Humble Defector.
BRWC Mardu Shops - Tymna and Akiri Artifacts BRWC
Have you gotten any games in with the new changes? I am most interested in hearing your experiences with Eldrazi Displacer and Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
Some Cards that I am considering: Serra Ascendant, Eidolon of Rhetoric, Ethersworn Canonist, Leonin Arbiter, and Liliana of the Veil.
I am also considering Attrition with the addition of Kalitas.
1 Blood Crypt
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Caves of Koilos
1 City of Brass
1 Clifftop Retreat
1 Command Tower
1 Dragonskull Summit
1 Evolving Wilds
1 Flooded Strand
1 Godless Shrine
1 Graven Cairns
1 High Market
1 Isolated Chapel
1 Mana Confluence
1 Phyrexian Tower
1 Polluted Delta
1 Reflecting Pool
1 Rugged Prairie
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Smoldering Marsh
1 Volrath's Stronghold
1 Terramorphic Expanse
1 Windswept Heath
1 Wooded Foothills
3 Mountain
3 Swamp
5 Plains
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
Creature
3 Alesha, Who Smiles at Death
1 Mother of Runes
1 Viscera Seer
1 Weathered Wayfarer
2 Anafenza, Kin-Tree Spirit
2 Blood Artist
2 Dark Confidant
2 Knight of the White Orchid
2 Pain Seer
2 Relic Seeker
2 Stoneforge Mystic
2 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
2 Zulaport Cutthroat
3 Aven Mindcensor
3 Drana, Liberator of Malakir
3 Fiend Hunter
3 Goblin Rabblemaster
3 Liliana, Heretical Healer
3 Loyal Retainers
3 Ophiomancer
3 Xathrid Necromancer
4 Academy Rector
4 Beetleback Chief
4 Brutal Hordechief
4 Butcher of the Horde
4 Disciple of Bolas
4 Falkenrath Aristocrat
4 Falkenrath Noble
4 Hellrider
4 Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
4 Murderous Redcap
4 Purphoros, God of the Forge
4 Solemn Simulacrum
5 Archangel of Thune
5 Karmic Guide
5 Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
5 Reveillark
5 Sadistic Hypnotist
5 Seige-Gang Commander
6 Sun Titan
1 Sol Ring
Disruption
1 Swords to Plowshares
3 Crackling Doom
3 Vindicate
4 Damnation
4 Utter End
5 Dictate of Erebos
6 Austere Command
Draw
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Skullclamp
1 Vampiric Tutor
2 Demonic Tutor
3 Buried Alive
3 Necropotence
3 Phyrexian Arena
Utility
1 Phyrexian Reclamation
2 Goblin Bombardment
2 Lightning Greaves
3 Kolaghan's Command
3 Sword of Light and Shadow
4 Sneak Attack
5 Living Death
6 Elspeth, Sun's Champion
Blue lives don't matter in the slightest.
Also with the removal of rabblemaster is it still worth running goblin matron, or is she just a means to get kiki to start comboing off?
Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet has been solid as a combination of hatebear, threat and token creator. Eldrazi Displacer I'm less happy with - the recent change in the mana rules (losing the 5c lands) means I can activate it less consistently - I'm thinking about switching it back to Restoration Angel.
Serra Ascendant is very powerful but doesn't have many synergies with the deck. If you face a lot of storm decks Eidolon of Rhetoric and Ethersworn Canonist are both solid options (although I like the 2 power and lower cmc of the Canonist better). Leonin Arbiter is a powerful hatebear but since we also play a large number of tutors I'm not sure it's at its best here. Liliana of the Veil I used to run and its a solid card to run because the discard is useful as is the removal. I removed it as Liliana, Heretical Healer has a slightly similar role but is multifunctional. I also think with the printing of Narset, the Harbinger Liliana of the Veil is unnecessary here as Narset also functions as a discard outlet but also loots, it has a better removal option covering enchantments and tapping artifacts as well, and it has an ultimate that is within reach and has great synergy with the deck.
I have never played with Attrition but it indeed has great synergy with Kalitas and is otherwise a functional sac outlet (albeit with mana cost), so if you test it I'm very interested in hearing your experiences with it.
The problem with Oreskos Explorer is that it doesn't ramp you and it requires you to be at least 3rd in the turn order for it to be playable on curve (compared with second for Knight) making it worse in my opinion, particularly if you start to factor in recurring knight of the white orchid with Alesha for continuous ramp. I'm unsure if adding it would be too much (with Tithe and Knight already) for the number of plains in the deck; but I should probably try it at some point.
Sunforger is a great piece of equipment if you're playing in a slower meta, but in a competitive meta it's just much too slow. Goblin Matron is still great for getting Kiki-Jiki as you mentioned - it also gets Murderous Redcap which is important. I'm looking at adding another goblin in though for more consistency.
BRWC Mardu Shops - Tymna and Akiri Artifacts BRWC
My meta is very much less competitive than yours and I'd be interested in running sunforger and some of the associated package (you've already got some really good stuff in here). Is there something you'd cut for it or recommend to cut?
Secondly, why not just run both Rabblemaster and Kalitas? Considering they seemingly have a different role in the list? Rabbles is really aggressive and Kali is grave hate and eventually get's really ig or makes a bunch of 2/2's. You could run both, which would give you an aggro matron choice for fetching.
Also I agree with dropping displacer for resto, plus kiki combo + resto feels really good.
The new Nahiri, the Harbinger has also been something that I was heavily considering on pre-ordering for this deck.
Going off the OP's list, you could probably get away without using Teysa (I have never found her to be that great), Spirit of the Labyrinth, Or Mana Crypt if you want to make a budget cut. The hatebears are all personal taste in my opinion. So you can use them as you see fit.
In a less competitive meta I would cut Cataclysm and some of the combo pieces (Teysa, Loyal Retainers, Murderous Redcap) as they are not as good if you're not comboing out. You could also consider cutting out some additional tutors to create some additional space. The hatebears are meta-dependent but I would imagine in slower metas they can be an even greater help in stopping people from durdling around with tutors or excessive card draw. And other than that I would make some substitutions like removing Vindicate for the new Anguished Unmaking or Utter End.
I think the difficulty is that the decklist is incredibly cramped for space so that I try to only exchange cards in the decklist that have the same function to maintain balance. Goblin Rabblemaster is a great card so I can definitely see re-adding it in the future. I forgot to add but there's also Goblin Sharpshooter for Goblin Matron to fetch.
Nahiri, the Harbinger definitely looks good.
BRWC Mardu Shops - Tymna and Akiri Artifacts BRWC
First off, I can imagine taking out the goblin package only all too well. It takes up a lot of slots and Matron can be a dead card later on. I've kept it in so far as repeatable tutoring is very strong and Kiki-Jiki is key in the deck. I think with the printing of Recruiter of the Guard it's not necessary anymore to play the Matron. Suffice it to say that Recruiter of the Guard is probably the most influential card printed for the list in the last couple of years.
[card]
Aether Revolt:[/card]
Restoration Specialist : I like the idea of Restoration Specialist as a 2/1 which can recur both enchantments and artifacts. I think it will get a spot in the list as it's versatility and possibility to generate a 2 for 1 put it way above alternatives.
Felidar Guardian - it combos with both Animate Dead and Kiki-Jiki, putting it above Sun Titan I think. It also has niche uses with untapping lands such as Phyrexian Tower in a pinch.
Hidden Stockpile - you can make a token every turn if you have a creature/token to start the loop. The scry is a nice touch, but sadly it does require one mana limiting its combo potential. I think this a card you need to play with to judge but it has some potential.
Commander 2016
Ravos, Soultender seems to slow and costly (mana wise), but it does have the magical two power so I think it can work well in slower/grindier metas.
Tymna the Weaver - I really like her here. She can often draw you 3 cards a turn in a normal game with the number of creatures we play, costs only 3 mana to play and has lifelink (Archangel of Thune synergy). Not sure where to fit it in but it seems strong.
Eldritch Moon
Selfless Spirit is a strong card against board wipes, so I think it can be a very effective protection creature in the deck.
Thalia's Lancers - I think it's too slow in the deck and looking through the decklist it doesn't find to many things that a creature tutor wouldn't.
Kaladesh
Angel of Invention - this is a bomb in the deck. Being able to produce two tokens on ETB and pumping the entire team is strong and highly unexpected on a 2/1 creature with lifelink on top. I'm not sure if it's better than Drana who has less immediate impact when recurred by Alesha but a cheaper mana cost. But perhaps it's time to just play both. In any case it's a great addition to the deck.
Kambal, Consul of Allocation is another playable hate bear in the deck, but I think it loses out to other options (against storm primarily Ethersworn Canonist).
Aetherworks Marvel - at four mana and no immediate impact it may not be the best card. In a grindier Alesha I think it's a great card though as getting six permanents to be put in the graveyard is not difficult and the ability is very powerful.
Conspiracy
Sanctum Prelate is a great hate bear for the deck, especially as you can sacrifice it, recur it and reset the number as required.
Both Kaya, Ghost Assassin and Daretti, Ingenious Iconoclast are playable in the deck, but perhaps not the best option. Queen Marchesa is also playable as we can make good use of both the tokens and generally defend the monarch quite well. It has little synergy with comboing though and is relatively slow and risky.
What cards from the last couple of sets have you been playing? Would be great to hear your experiences.
BRWC Mardu Shops - Tymna and Akiri Artifacts BRWC
I'm trying some of the newer cards mentioned like Sanctum Prelate and Restoration Specialist. Both have come in handy and helped against combo and with general resilience, respectively. Recruiter of the Guard is obviously a house, but I do wind up disappointed when I really need to tutor up a Fiend Hunter and can't. Another new card, which I haven't seen much discussion on, has been extremely successful for me in creating an engine. That card is Key to the City. It seems to do everything for me, especially if I can keep Alesha around for a few attacks. It lets me get creatures in the yard, it keeps Alesha alive in combat, and at the very least, draws me an extra card each turn. I see a lot of Alesha decks play Reconnaissance, but I feel like that card can be pretty underwhelming. I've found so many lines of play by using the Key, some even without an active commander. I play Victimize and Animate Dead for reanimation spells and sometimes Key to the City is all I need to combo off with Karmic Guide in the early turns.
Another card I really like in this deck is Basilisk Collar. Easily fetchable with Stoneforge Mystic, creates a nasty board lock with Goblin Sharpshooter, and isn't too bad on Alesha, given that she already comes with first strike.
Other useful cards I play are Leyline of the Void and Toxic Deluge, but those are mostly meta calls. I've seen Agent of Erebos used in place of the Leyline since he synergizes better with Alesha, but I feel like most of the time, I'd rather just have the Leyline.
Anyway, this is just my early testing phases with this deck. I played Alesha for a short while as a Tiny Leaders general and really liked her there, so I'm interested to see how I can expand her for Commander.
U(U/B)B(B/R)R(R/G)G(G/W)W(W/B)B(B/G)G(G/U)U(U/R)R(R/W)W(W/U)U
B(B/R)R(R/G)G(G/W)W(W/B)B(B/G)G(G/U)U(U/R)R(R/W)W(W/U)U(U/B)B
R(R/G)G(G/W)W(W/B)B(B/G)G(G/U)U(U/R)R(R/W)W(W/U)U(U/B)B(B/R)R
G(G/W)W(W/B)B(B/G)G(G/U)U(U/R)R(R/W)W(W/U)U(U/B)B(B/R)R(R/G)G
1 Alesha, Who Smiles at Death
Creatures - 28
1 Mother of Runes
1 Viscera Seer
1 Anafenza, Kin-Tree Spirit
1 Blood Artist
1 Grand Abolisher
1 Harsh Mentor
1 Knight of the White Orchid
1 Leonin Relic-Warder
1 Spirit of the Labyrinth
1 Stoneforge Mystic
1 Aven Mindcensor
1 Burnished Hart
1 Fiend Hunter
1 Grim Haruspex
1 Mentor of the Meek
1 Academy Rector
1 Gonti, Lord of Luxury
1 Murderous Redcap
1 Purphoros, God of the Forge
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Karmic Guide
1 Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
1 Master of Cruelties
1 Reveillark
1 Sidisi, Undead Vizier
1 Duplicant
1 Sun Titan
1 Sheoldred, Whispering One
Sorcery - 8
1 Austere Command
1 Buried Alive
1 Day of Judgement
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Faithless Looting
1 Retribution of the Meek
1 Unburial Rites
1 Wrath of God
1 Anguished Unmaking
1 Chaos Warp
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Entomb
1 Mortify
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Utter End
Enchantment - 9
1 Animate Dead
1 Blind Obedience
1 Dance of the Dead
1 Goblin Bombardment
1 Grave Pack
1 Necropotence
1 Phyrexian Arena
1 Reconnaissance
1 Underworld Connections
Artifact - 11
1 Ashnod's Altar
1 Boros Signet
1 Commander's Sphere
1 Orzhov Signet
1 Rakdos Signet
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Skullclamp
1 Sol Ring
1 Swiftfoot Boots
1 Sword of the Animist
1 Talisman of Indulgence
Land - 36
1 Ancient Tomb
1 Temple of the False God
1 Cavern of Souls
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Shizo, Death's Storehouse
1 High Market
1 Maze of Ith
1 Mana Confluence
1 Nomad Outpost
1 Reflecting Pool
1 City of Brass
1 Command Tower
1 Clifftop Retreat
1 Temple of Triumph
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Isolated Chapel
1 Temple of Silence
1 Godless Shrine
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Graven Cairns
1 Smoldering Marsh
1 Dragonskull Summit
1 Temple of Malice
1 Blood Crypt
1 Polluted Delta
1 Flooded Strand
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Windswept Heath
3 Swamp
2 Plains
3 Mountain
GW Rhys the Redeemed EDH
RUGAnimar, Soul of Elements EDH
WBRAlesha, Who Smiles at Death EDH