I hope all of you regular readers enjoyed the little competition Sean and I had last week. I think I can speak for him when I say it was a lot of fun to do; it’s always interesting to really clamp down with a serious set of building restrictions to see what you can come up with. Some surprising things seem to happen, and you truly get off the beaten path with your builds. (I’m sure you all know how I feel about that by now…)

More importantly, I think we took advantage of something that we haven’t really looked at until now. Dear Azamiis a living, breathing creature with two different heads, and until last week, we hadn’t really explored sharing the space we occupy together. There’s a lot of interesting things that can come of collaboration and friendly competition, and I really hope that you all enjoyed what came of it. We’ll be sure to come back around to this in the future as well as try some new ways to interact. (Please hit up the comments section to give us some feedback on what you’d like to see.)

Getting down to business, thanks for writing in, Anthony! I see a ton of good opportunity in this list. You’ve certainly come prepared with a solid host of some of the format’s stronger options in the red, white, and blue (and colorless!).

What really got me interested was the tone of your submission. Through some extra correspondence, I learned that Anthony is currently serving overseas in the United States Army, which is why he has interest in building a “patriotic” deck with a Soldier theme. In addition, while Memorial Day is right around the corner in the United States, readers in Massachusetts, Maine, and Wisconsin will be celebrating Patriots’ Day on the day (Monday, April 15th) this article is published.

All things considered, it seems like everything is in perfect alignment here to see if I can bring Anthony’s theme home and do it some justice.

(Fun Fact: Massachusetts used to own Maine. Aren’t you glad that features prominently on the Patriots’ Day Wikipedia page? Seriously, though, if any of you end up winning a ton of money on Jeopardy! because you read this, I get a cut.)

In related news, while I was digging around for this information online, I learned there is a history to the Army slogan. Currently “Army Strong,” it goes back through memorable choices like “Army of One” and “Be All You Can Be” until it reaches the classic image of Uncle Sam in the middle of World War I, pointing and letting you know “I Want YOU For U.S. Army!” 

This is kind of cool as well since a lot of these apply to what the deck is going to do. At the core, this deck is about Ruhan as a “Voltron” general, which certainly fits the “Army of One” slogan. The added emphasis on Soldiers is going to come via mass producers, and it’s no stretch of the imagination to see where “Army Strong” can fit that bill. If I look deeper at the list, the reliance on the various equipment Swords can even work; the slogan from the 1950’s through 1971 was “Look Sharp, Be Sharp, Go Army!” 

It’s not a critical component, but it is an added bit of interesting flavor. By the way, if anyone has an idea on how “Be All That You Can Be” and the easily forgotten “Today’s Army Wants to Join You” from the 1970’s can work in here, please let me know.

Looking at the deck, I won’t mince my words. Anthony, this seems like an all-around solid player, but it is really heavy with what you call “Commander staples.” I’m sure it works nicely, but I think bringing a Soldier theme to the deck will allow me to streamline and fine-tune the functionality, and regular reader will note that my favorite way to do that is to take a chainsaw to “good stuff” inclusions. That’s on the to-do list for sure.

As for where it’s going, I plan on a few angles. First, I couldn’t help but notice that you really love your Sunforger, so I’m going to massage the deck a bit to take better advantage of that angle, specifically in finding, protecting, and utilizing it.

Also, there’s the Soldier theme. That will be pretty apparent as it happens, but it is worth it to note that I don’t want to run out a Gather keyword search on “Soldier” and grab everything I find; I don’t think it will end in a place that is nearly as interesting (or as good). I’ll aim to add in some solid additions that will have the flavor but also pack the punch we want.

Let’s get to it.

The Lands

First off, your submission originally cut off right after the “5 Plains” line, leaving the deck short of 99 cards and a lot of necessary lands. I assumed that you meant to include a minimum of 36 lands by slotting in five each of Islands and Mountains as well, so I added those and came up three cards heavy overall. I’ll fix that part later on because, frankly, this deck is going to be incredibly mana-hungry and I can’t see it functioning on 28 lands. (Talk about some weak Bonfire of the Damned attempts!)

Assuming the full land count and addition of the basic lands:

OUT – Plains

IN – Mistveil Plains

It’s still a functional Plains, but regular Sunforger players will tell you that these decks need multiple ways to reload spells to keep a full toolbox active. Mistveil Plains is one of the easier (and generally uncounterable) ways to accomplish this.

And with that, we’re done with the lands. Too easy! Moving on…

The Artifacts

Like I said, the deck is pretty mana-hungry. I’m going to address that here by adding some mana rocks that pull a heavier load, and I’ll take some slots to work in a few other odds and ends here while I’m at it.

OUT: Boros Keyrune, Azorius Keyrune

IN: Thran Dynamo, Gilded Lotus

Okay, so I’m doing a terrible job of de-stapling this deck so far. That’s fair. However, the Keyrunes simply won’t pull the weight you want them to most of the time. You want your rocks to tap for enough mana to equip your Sunforger, so Lotus and Dynamo are in. Both will offer significantly more acceleration, and while I know I’m technically cutting a Soldier with the Boros Keyrune removal, I’m guessing it doesn’t do more than tap for red or white nine times out of ten anyway.

OUT: Ring of Thune

IN: Reito Lantern

This is another functional upgrade for your Sunforger package. It provides some flexible graveyard hate when needed and lets you keep the ‘Forger targets where you want them as well—in the deck. Some light +1/+1 counter additions and vigilance are worth the trade.

OUT: Umezawa’s Jitte, Champion’s Helm

IN: Mobilization, Assemble the Legion

Speaking of vigilance, Mobilization is a decent way to get your hands on some. Sadly, it doesn’t do much for your Commander, but this enchantment is an army in one card all by itself. And if that wasn’t enough, everyone’s favorite exponentially expanding army-in-a-box joins the party as well. This combination will have you flooding the field with battalions of vigilant Soldiers in a hurry, and I have a few things in the works later on that will make them better still.

The Enchantments

The axe has to fall somewhere. Including Ruhan, the deck counted out three cards heavy. Chop chop.

OUT: Ghostly Prison, Propaganda, Celestial Mantle

The first two cuts are easy enough. In your submission, you discussed not needing a ton of these, but you also discussed how Ruhan’s random attacks tend to mitigate retributive strikes as well. To that end, I’m going to cut both Ghostly Prison and Propaganda. I agree with your assessment, and what’s more is that I tend to find that “pillow fort” cards like this really only slow the game down and cause people to sit back and do nothing. We want interesting things to happen, so these need to go.

Celestial Mantle is a little harder, especially noting that you enjoy the card so much. The problem lies with the fact that putting this on Ruhan will draw you hate in a hurry, because people know how fast your life gain will get out of control. I want to keep things understated so that you won’t get beaten down and miss Propaganda and its ilk, so this card gets cut to get the deck back down to fighting weight.

The Sorceries

This might be a little uncomfortable since you seemed to indicate you really liked both of the cards I’m about to cut out. Apologies in advance…

OUT: Entreat the Angels, Bonfire of the Damned

IN: Temple of the False God, In the Web of War

Out go the miracle offerings. Hear me out.

Entreat the Angels has already seen a replacement in Assemble the Legion that is far more on theme, is way easier on the mana, and can get far more out of hand if not dealt with to begin with. Besides, I think you’ve probably got this in the deck because you’re very enamored with the interaction with Mystical Tutor, and that’s a dangerous road to go down. It’s generally not good to go closet case and bank on the interaction of two single cards without a ton of Tutor or filter effects, and this deck is lacking a little in that area to begin with.

This is the same reason Bonfire goes. Sure, the miracle spells topdeck well, but if you’re blowing your mana on them during your draw step, you’re not using your Sunforger. That’s no good.

The replacements are equal parts mundane-but-effective and mind-blowingly awesome. Temple is another needed shot of mana acceleration (and a needed extra land), and In the Web of War is flat-out backbreaking with the token creators I added in the last section. It’s not half bad with your commander either!

The Instants

Ah, the joys of the Sunforger package. Search the forums online and you’ll find a wealth of knowledge when it comes to what cards to include and what ones to toss out. I also need to say this: you Sunforger lovers are a pretty protective bunch! I’m going to call it right now—the comments section will blow up based on what I choose to do (and what I do wrong) in this area in a big way. (To be fair, it’ll likely be justified, so if you read this, Anthony, keep going past the bottom footer. You will learn things!)

OUT: Mystical Tutor

IN: Warstorm Surge

I realized that things go both ways here; once the miracle cards were out, there was less of a reason to run Mystical as well. Considering that Sunforger provides nearly the same functionality anyway, this doesn’t feel so bad.

Another enchantment replaces it. Warstorm Surge is a beating alone; when you leverage in the fact that your commander is big and cheap, you’ll grow to love this card.

Then add in Assemble the Legion and this will be your new favorite thing ever

OUT: Dissipate, Absorb, Brainstorm

IN: Counterflux, Absorb, Hindering Light

First off, I’m not sure Brainstorm is the best card in the game. Solid? Yes. Best? Ancestral Recall wants a word with you there. As does Force of Will. And so on. (Line forms to the left.)

Anyway, the point is that in this deck Brainstorm really doesn’t do a heck of a lot for you. The draw is negligible, and you’d be better served by stronger options or, in this case, the ability to net the same card draw while protecting your Sunforger with a card it can target. Hindering Light is a great option to have available.

While we’re there, I’m also upgrading your other counterspells to ‘Forgerable targets. Counterflux doesn’t exile the card it counters and Absorb doesn’t tuck anything, but the ability to always have them on tap if your Sunforger is in play is the whole point, so these are important changes.

OUT: Flusterstorm

IN: Martial Coup

I’m really not too sure what purpose Flusterstorm actually serves here. It’s possible that this is left over from the Commander precon, or perhaps you have some crazy storm combo decks where you play. In any case, Martial Coup is going to bring in more Soldier tokens and another Wrath effect stapled together, and that’s probably a much better fit for the deck and the theme.

OUT: Into the Roil

IN: Remember the Fallen

Roil isn’t a terrible card, but it is incredibly underwhelming in the face of the removal you already have access to in this deck and ‘Forger doesn’t find it either. I like the extra utility you get from Remember the Fallen instead; it’s another way to get back your Sunforger if someone blows it up, and a little creature recursion never hurts either. This kind of flexibility is what will make the deck more resilient and able to be more than the sum of its parts.

The Creatures

We enter the final stretch, and there’s a ton to be done in this area. Fortunately, there are some easy cuts, so I think it won’t be a stretch to get in what I need to.

OUT: Fog Bank, Windborn Muse

IN: Valor, Glory

I’ve really shifted the focus of this deck away from the “pillow fort” angle it was headed before, but I feel like it is the right call for this deck. You want action and aggressive plays here, not hiding behind walls and taxing your opponents. Valor makes Ruhan a force to be reckoned with, and an army of first-striking Soldier tokens can turn the tide of combat pretty quickly.

Add Glory to the mix and they end up pretty near invincible. You don’t need Propaganda effects to prevent your opponent from attacking into this—this is just better. On top of that, both fit the theme pretty well too; valor and glory are certainly things Soldiers aspire towards.

OUT: Weathered Wayfarer

IN: Journeyer’s Kite

Kite doesn’t find as many things as Wayfarer does. On the other hand, Kite doesn’t keel over to a stiff breeze, and it doesn’t care how many lands your opponent has in play.

OUT: Hanna, Ship’s Navigator, Consecrated Sphinx, Dominus of Fealty

IN: Taj-Nar Swordsmith, Rhystic Study, Grab the Reins

This is the section I warned you about.

All three of these cuts are to a greater or lesser extent strong to straight up busted in half. I won’t sit here and pretend that they’re not great choices either; I know how good Consecrated Sphinx is if it sticks around and how crazy Hanna recursion can get. (And I know the added focus on enchantments makes her more valuable.) And Dominus is incredible if it lasts.

But that’s the underlying problem. These cards stick out like a sore thumb. It almost makes no sense to run them because they hit the graveyard almost as fast as they hit play lately.

Instead, I’m looking to slot in cards that might fly under the radar a bit more or be a little easier to protect. Rhystic Study, for example, will draw you a ton of cards as well with the benefit that Sun Titan can recur it. Grab the Reins is a solid utility spell that can handle problem permanents the same way or better than Dominus does (Grab and Fling a Ulamog once and this card will be in every red deck you ever play), clear a path for attacks, and, best yet, is a Sunforger target. Lastly, the Swordsmith is another way to tutor the ‘Forger up. You’ll get more mileage here than you would with the other team in place, so I think the changes are the right call.

OUT: Frost Titan

IN: Lightning Angel

This one is all theme. Lightning Angel is the original red, white, and blue creature, so I can’t pass up the chance to slot her in to fit the patriotic bill. She’s no slouch with the Sunforger or an early Loxodon Warhammer either.

You pointed out that Frost Titan was a potential cut, and I would agree. For the mana, you can do better in these colors. (If I was dying for the effect, I’d probably go with Yosei, the Morning Star, for example.)   

OUT: Wall of Omens, Mindclaw Shaman

IN: Auriok Survivors, Captain of the Watch

Wall just doesn’t get me excited. If you get Venser going, you have a minor card draw engine, but it’s also a fragile one. Without Venser, Wall just seems weak. And while I like the idea of Mindclaw Shaman, I’ve whiffed with it more times than I care to count in Commander. I always want the sure thing instead.

Auriok Survivors is a known quantity. Another way to get back Sunforger is welcome, and this one will get it equipped and ready for free.

Captain of the Watch rounds out the new Soldier tokens suite. More vigilance, more power/toughness for each token, and, best of all, more tokens themselves. For the record, dropping this thing the turn after you play In the Web of War is incredible. Seventeen hasty power for six mana is not too shabby.

OUT: Izzet Chronarch, Sea Gate Oracle

IN: Honor the Fallen, Momentary Blink

I’ve moved this deck towards a more enchantment-themed build, and although you like Chronarch, it flies in the face of what you should be doing with your spells—namely, shoving them back in your deck to reuse. And Oracle…I’ve got nothing. I know it’s there to interact with Venser, but there are far better options that gain you far more card advantage if you want to go that route.

Instead, there are two final additions to the Sunforger suite. Since you’re lighter on actual creatures and heavier on tokens, Honor the Fallen should be a pretty strong piece of graveyard hate for you. This thing has great potential to gain you a boatload of life, and it can simply shut off graveyard recursion strategies altogether. (My Karador deck for one is thankful that no one has ever played it in my metagame.) 

Momentary Blink offers you some quick protection for your general, and the flashback really screws up the math your opponent is doing to figure out if they can clear the path with the removal they have on tap. It’s kind of techy, but it never ceases to amaze me in practice.

The List

Here’s the final product:

Ruhan of the Fomori

Cassidy McAuliffe

Test deck on 04-14-2013

Commander

Creatures (19)

• 1 Glory
• 1 Lightning Angel
• 1 Taj-Nar Swordsmith
• 1 Valor
• 1 Azorius Guildmage
• 1 Stonehewer Giant
• 1 Duergar Hedge-Mage
• 1 Captain of the Watch
• 1 Linvala, Keeper of Silence
• 1 Sun Titan
• 1 Phyrexian Metamorph
• 1 Auriok Survivors
• 1 Ruhan of the Fomori
• 1 Gisela, Blade of Goldnight
• 1 Sublime Archangel
• 1 Isperia, Supreme Judge
• 1 Angel of Serenity
• 1 Aurelia, the Warleader
• 1 Boros Reckoner

Planeswalkers (2)

• 1 Venser, the Sojourner
• 1 Ajani, Caller of the Pride

Lands (37)

• 4 Plains
• 1 Adarkar Wastes
• 5 Mountain
• 5 Island
• 1 Temple of the False God
• 1 Battlefield Forge
• 1 Boros Garrison
• 1 Sacred Foundry
• 1 Sunhome, Fortress of the Legion
• 1 Izzet Boilerworks
• 1 Steam Vents
• 1 Azorius Chancery
• 1 Hallowed Fountain
• 1 Mistveil Plains
• 1 Cascade Bluffs
• 1 Reliquary Tower
• 1 Glacial Fortress
• 1 Arid Mesa
• 1 Scalding Tarn
• 1 Command Tower
• 1 Sulfur Falls
• 1 Clifftop Retreat
• 1 Slayers' Stronghold
• 1 Izzet Guildgate
• 1 Azorius Guildgate
• 1 Boros Guildgate

Spells (42)

• 1 Sensei's Divining Top
• 1 In the Web of War
• 1 Enlightened Tutor
• 1 Land Tax
• 1 Sol Ring
• 1 Journeyer's Kite
• 1 Reito Lantern
• 1 Mobilization
• 1 Desertion
• 1 Sword of Light and Shadow
• 1 Loxodon Warhammer
• 1 Lightning Greaves
• 1 Gilded Lotus
• 1 Savage Beating
• 1 Grab the Reins
• 1 Oblation
• 1 Honor the Fallen
• 1 Thran Dynamo
• 1 Rhystic Study
• 1 Absorb
• 1 Seize the Day
• 1 Sunforger
• 1 Condemn
• 1 Momentary Blink
• 1 Austere Command
• 1 Cryptic Command
• 1 Steel of the Godhead
• 1 Hindering Light
• 1 Martial Coup
• 1 Path to Exile
• 1 Day of Judgment
• 1 Luminarch Ascension
• 1 Sword of Feast and Famine
• 1 Darksteel Plate
• 1 Remember the Fallen
• 1 Chaos Warp
• 1 Angelic Destiny
• 1 Warstorm Surge
• 1 Counterflux
• 1 Boros Charm
• 1 Aurelia's Fury
• 1 Assemble the Legion

This feels pretty good to me. The mana is fixed a bit, the Sunforger package is enhanced and made more redundant and resilient, and there are a good amount of the right Soldier options in place. The deck is more aggressive overall, less inclined to sit back and hide, and Ruhan is still a solid weapon. Hopefully, you will enjoy this angle; it may feel a bit less powerful than your current build on a card-for-card basis, but there’s way more synergy and it adheres far more to the new theme.

Looking at the cards, I slotted in changes amounting to $37.95, which isn’t bad in my book. As always, for participating in Dear Azamithis week, you’ll receive a $20 coupon to StarCityGames.com. That ought to help.

Here’s the price breakdown individually:

Thanks again for the submission, Anthony. I hope you enjoy it, and I hope it does you justice. Take care.

See you in two-

-Cassidy

Want to submit a deck for consideration to Dear Azami? We’re always accepting deck submissions to consider for use in a future article, like Doug’s Karn, Silver Golem deck or Chad’s Karona, False God deck. Only one deck submission will be chosen per article, but being selected for the next edition of Dear Azami includes not just deck advice but also a $20 coupon to StarCityGames.com!

Email us a deck submission using this link here!

Like what you’ve seen? Feel free to explore more of “Dear Azami” here! Feel free to follow Sean on Facebook…sometimes there are extra surprises and bonus content to be found over on his Facebook Fan Page as well as previews of the next week’s column at the end of the week! Follow Cassidy on his Facebook page here or check out his Commander blog!