A Second Look At The Commander 2017 Decks

Last time, we took a look at our Commander 2017 League setup with a focus
on the deck I’m going to play, Feline Ferocity. This time, I’d like to take
a broader look at all four decks and how you might start to modify them for
both closed play—meaning only with the other decks—and out in the wild.
First, I’ll update you briefly on how our initial battles went.

We played three League games last week and they were all quite good. It’s
clear that each deck can do lots of stuff and kill other players quite
easily. The lack of a real control player means that any one of them
getting a significantly stronger start turns the game into Archenemy until
some kind of equilibrium is established or bodies hit the floor. Our middle
game was one of those in which there was a cascade of deaths: Shea killed
me, Keith killed Shea, and Anthony killed Keith.

The somewhat linear nature of the Cat deck, coupled with the fact that it’s
only two colors (meaning mana is rarely an issue), makes it quite strong.
Commanded by Arahbo, Roar of the World, it only needs two or three
creatures to start savaging people. In one of the battles, I killed two
players from 30 with just Arahbo, Raksha Golden Cub, a monstrous Fleecemane
Lion, and Heirloom Blade. Raksha was equipped with Heirloom Blade, making
it 9/7. Fleecemane Lion was 4/4. I used Arahbo’s beginning of combat
trigger to make it 7/7. When they attacked, I paid for Arabho’s trigger for
each, making them 18/16 and 14/14, respectively. Arahbo joined the battle
with Fleecemane Lion for 33 damage, and Raksha did 36 all by itself.

The deck seems great once things get down to one-on-one, since it often
only needs one creature to get through to deal quite a bit of damage. It
doesn’t have too many defense mechanisms, but generally just being able to
chump block once or twice (which is obviously way more difficult against
the Dragon deck) is enough. As players adapt their decks, we’ll see if
that’s the long term case.

Here are the changes we all made after the first three games. We didn’t
have any issues with players wanting the same cards, so we just picked as
soon as we were eliminated from a game. Once we get a little deeper, we’ll
do it in League standing order each time, as we have in all our previous
Leagues.

Anthony:

In	Out
Indulgent Aristocrat	Curse of Disturbance
Shadow Alley Denizen	Curse of Vitality
Bloodline Keeper	Bloodhusk Ritualist

Unlike the Cat deck, the Vampire deck needs a good-sized army. Anthony
clearly went for some early action which can lead to long-term payoff.

Keith:

In	Out
Extinction	Fortunate Few
Path to Exile	Curse of Opulence
Legacy Weapon	Taigam, Ojutai Master

Keith went a different direction, taking a few spells before anyone else
got them. Extinction is a great pick in the format. When he chose it, I
mentioned Tsabo’s Decree; he said that it’s already on his list. I had to
ask twice about taking out Taigam, Ojutai Master. Sure, there aren’t too
many counterspells running around the League, but that second ability is
quite something—and in an inexpensive package, to boot. Obviously, Legacy
Weapon is a pretty serious pick that only he can take. Perhaps it’s a
signal that he’s going attempt to be the control deck. It’s an interesting
strategy if he can manage to play some control in the four- to six-mana
phase of the game, get going in the seven- to nine-mana phase, and then
just crush after that.

Shea:

In	Out
Uyo, Silent Prophet	Curse of Disturbance
Viscera Seer	Curse of Verbosity
Reliquary Tower	Mystifying Maze

Shea snap-called Uyo as soon as he was eliminated from the first game, so
it’s obvious that he knew where he was going the whole time. Viscera Seer
is a clever pick because it’s a creature Anthony can also take. There won’t
be too many daggers over creatures, but that was one of them.

Sheldon:

In	Out
Regal Caracal	Curse of Vitality
Mirror Entity	Curse of Bounty
Comeuppance	Dreamstone Hedron

I grabbed the lord of all Cats first, not because I thought it was the best
card, but because I wanted to start playing it as soon as possible. Mirror
Entity is a changeling that all the white decks might want, so I nicked it
next. Chameleon Colossus might also be on my list (once I buy a calculator
for all the math I’ll need to do) as well as Keith’s. Depending on how the
League goes, I might also consider Changeling Titan as a neat way to either
protect a creature in a Wrath-happy environment or get additional
enters-the-battlefield triggers (but there are better ways of doing that).

You’ll note that everyone save for Keith took out two Curses (and he was
going to but changed his mind last-minute to Taigam). The overwhelming
sentiment on the Curses so far is that they’re cool for you, but you don’t
want to give anyone else the same stuff. They’re probably better off in
decks more capable of taking deep advantage of them. For me, I know that
giving someone life and letting them untap and get blockers is the opposite
my gameplan.

I took out Dreamstone Hedron because I want more action for six mana, as
opposed to more resources. There’s enough ramp already, plus the fact that
I have both Mirari’s Wake and Zendikar Resurgent. And, of course, I always
want someone twitchy when they think about attacking me. These decks can
generate some exceedingly powerful attacks, so the idea of throwing them
back is a grand idea.

I’ll keep you updated as the League continues along. But for now, let’s
look at directions you might consider taking each of them.

Feline Ferocity

I’ve already intimated at the direction I’ll take the deck in our League,
so I’ll suggest a different tack. In a closed environment like this one,
especially without a developed control player, go wide.

The deck already has White Sun’s Zenith to go with all the extra
mana-givers, so take it a step further. If you’re not restricted to tribal
ideas, the Decree of Justice and maybe even Storm Herd might get you there.
With the latter, some life gain will do wonders. Try on True Conviction for
size, then Overwhelming Stampede; Overrun; Kamahl, Fist of Krosa; or, if
you want to not get invited to parties, Triumph of the Hordes.

If you’re going wide, Mirri, Weatherlight Duelist is your better choice for
a commander, since opponents are limited with blockers. My experience so
far is that she’s fine getting into the red zone with buffs from Arahbo,
but in case you want to play more defensively, you can add a way to tap her
without attacking, like Selesnya Evangel or the ever-popular Springleaf
Drum. Glare of Subdual will also keep the worst creatures off your face.

In an open environment, go Voltron, also with Mirri as the commander.
You’re already doing great with Equipment, so a few more friends like
Stoneforge Mystic can get you headed in the right direction. The addition
of Darksteel Plate to the Hammer of Nazahn you already have will keep Mirri
swinging for a long time. From there, it’s Equipment to suit your
particular tastes—from Sword of Fire and Ice to Sword of Light and Shadow
or Batterskull and Basilisk Collar and beyond. Play some control elements
to get rid of problematic permanents and you’re off to the races.

Vampiric Bloodlust

In the closed environment, it’s easy to give in to “just better Vampires.”
The right call here is to do some measure of what Anthony has already
demonstrated: try to curve out on your neck-biters. By the time you get to
six or seven mana, you should be in position to do pretty much what you
want.

Olivia Voldaren is the obvious addition to start turning more creatures to
your side. Just remember to pack a little nonbasic land hate in case
someone tries to sneak Homeward Path in on you. Your number of nonblack
creatures in jeopardy of Ascendant Evincar is exactly zero, so it seems
like all upside. There isn’t too much graveyard hate running around, so
Oversold Cemetery and Palace Siege will help you get back those sacrificed
creatures. Note that Palace Siege is in the Dragon deck, so if you’re
playing in a singleton league, you’re out of luck.

In an open environment (or a closed one in which I had unrestricted
creature choice), I’d go for Suture Priest early on. You’ll be creating
lots of creatures with Edgar Markov and lots of creatures will be dying, so
I’ll give you some of my super-secret tech: Dross Harvester. I’ve been
playing with the card since the dawn of the format, and it’s always been a
winner. Some planeswalkers might be nice, given all the creatures you’ll
create to protect them. I’d start with Liliana, Heretical Healer (which I
know starts as a creature, but who are we kidding?) and Liliana of the Dark
Realms. Ob Nixilis of the Black Oath seems sweet if you can get to the
emblem. Edgar’s grandson Sorin is around, although I’d use him judiciously.

Draconic Domination

To me, this is still the scariest deck in the closed environment. It can
just deal piles of damage in short order. I’d want to make it even more
savage. Karrthus, Tyrant of Jund will ensure that all your Dragons have
haste as well as being able to steal everyone else’s changelings. Just be
careful if other players start playing Clones (and don’t ignore the fact
that the Wizards deck has Puppeteer Clique). Without outside help, your
creatures are simply larger than everyone else’s, so make them fight.

Guild Feud is a nice place to start. If you’re not limited on creature
types, Gruul Ragebeast will keep the battlefield clear of everyone else’s
creatures. Magus of the Arena is a way to tap creatures which you might not
want other folks to battle with. As with any deck that has huge, expensive
creatures, getting them onto the battlefield for less mana is the way to
go—whether that’s Summoning Trap, Tooth and Nail, or any number of other
ways. As sweet as The Ur-Dragon’s abilities are, I’m definitely playing
O-Kagachi, Vengeful Kami as the commander. It’s easier to cast, and it
really makes people think twice about attacking you. If you want to bring
all the pain, there’s Warstorm Surge. If you want to hang it out there and
take some chances, try Pandemonium instead.

In an open environment, you’ll also want to cast your Dragons more easily.
Selvala, Heart of the Wilds will certainly get you there. It’s not
particularly thematic, but Kiora, Master of the Depths provides some
mini-ramp and that emblem is something else. Of course, if you really want
to be thematic, I’ll suggest some sort of Undead Dragon deck if you want to
pay tribute to some television. You have all five colors to play with, so
you can go simple like Reanimate or Exhume, or a little more complicated
like Dawn of the Dead or Corpse Dance.

To complete the graveyard stuff theme, take a page from my

Karrthus, Who Rains Fire From The Sky

deck and run Dragon Breath, Dragon Fangs, and Dragon Shadow, and Dragon
Scales since you can. Dragon Wings is kind of redundant. Those Auras
suddenly make a card like Winds of Rath worth considering. And if you’re
running things in and out of your graveyard, here’s an unheard-of card to
consider: Lieutenant Kirtar.

Arcane Wizardry

In a League like ours, Anathemancer might be an early pick for me with
these decks, especially if I were making copies with Inalla. I wouldn’t go
full Blood Moon or Ruination on anyone, but Price of Progress will put a
fair amount of salt in the wounds.

Instead of spending picks on taking out all those
enters-the-battlefield-tapped lands, I might consider adding Amulet of
Vigor instead. If the battlefield wipes don’t happen all that often, Melek,
Izzet Paragon becomes a great sidekick to Inalla, Archmage Ritualist
(although you obviously don’t want to copy Melek). You can, however, copy
Scrivener and Anarchist to your heart’s content. If you want to get really
creative with bouncing back spells, add Cloudstone Curio.

Here’s how it works: Cast Scrivener. When it enters the battlefield, pay
Inalla’s one-mana ability to copy it. If you have something else you want
to put back into your hand, do so. If not, when the token enters the
battlefield, bounce the original so you can do it all over again. Add some
Mana Echoes action to make it all easier. Then pick your poison on instants
and/or sorceries. With all those Wizards you have, activate Sigil Tracer to
make more copies of spells. You know what’s cool to copy? Repulse. And you
know who is also a Wizard? Willbreaker. I know I’m going to regret
suggesting this to Shea, but a spell that might be amazing to copy is
Illusionist’s Gambit.

Wizards are inherently combo-y, so I’d go a long way to avoid the
arbitrarily large. You can already find some pretty crazy Mairsil, the
Pretender decks out there. Inalla Voltron isn’t as awesome as killing
someone with Azami, Lady of Scrolls Voltron, but I’d consider giving it a
whirl. Or maybe not Voltron, but buffing up Inalla through spells while
continuing the theme of copying them. Things like Brute Force, Fists of the
Anvil, or Invigorated Rampage can help get you to a commander damage kill,
especially combined with Psychotic Fury.

A copied Hatred means paying less life to get the kill. It won’t take that
many copies of Rush of Blood to get you all the way home, maybe topped off
with a Rush of Vitality for extra insurance.

From what I understand, the Commander 2017 decks are doing quite
well, which tells me a few things. First, it means they’re simply
well-designed and fun to play. Second, it tells me they play well together.
Finally, it tells me that the format itself is in a pretty sweet spot.
These are the kind of big, splashy decks which we want to encourage people
to play in the most epic of all formats. If they’re flying off the shelves,
then there’s a reasonable argument that the format as designed is
resonating with an appreciable number of players. Those of us on the Rules
Committee couldn’t be happier.

This Week’s Idiotic Combo

When preview season starts, you look for absurd ways to use new cards.
Looking at Ixalan, I offer you a very simple two-card combo: Settle the
Wreckage and Reins of Power.

Swap creatures with an opponent. Battle to your heart’s content. Maybe even
deal some damage if there aren’t unfavorable blocks. At end of combat or
whenever it best suits you during the combat phase (like if someone hits
you with Aetherize), cast Settle the Wreckage, doing the double duty of
getting yourself a bunch of lands and exiling a problematic creature set.

This week’s Deck Without Comment is the

Kresh Do-Over

.

Kresh Do Over

Sheldon Menery

Test deck on 12-03-2015

Commander

Creatures (32)

Lands (37)

Check out our comprehensive Deck List Database for lists of all my decks:

SIGNATURE DECKS

Purple Hippos and Maro Sorcerers

;

Kresh Into the Red Zone

;

Halloween with Karador

;

Dreaming of Intet

;

You Did This to Yourself

;

THE CHROMATIC PROJECT

Mono-Color

Heliod, God of Enchantments

;

Thassa, God of Merfolk

;

Erebos and the Halls Of The Dead

;

Forge of Purphoros

;

Nylea of the Woodland Realm

;

Karn

Evil No. 9

Guilds

Lavinia Blinks

;

Obzedat, Ghost Killer

;

Aurelia Goes to War

;

Trostani and Her Angels

;

Lazav, Shapeshifting Mastermind

;

Zegana and a Dice Bag

;

Rakdos Reimagined

;

Glissa, Glissa

;

Ruric Thar and His Beastly Fight Club

;

Gisa and Geralf Together Forever

;

Shards and Wedges

Adun’s Toolbox

;

Animar’s Swarm

;

Ikra and Kydele

;

Karrthus, Who Rains Fire From The Sky

;

Demons of Kaalia

;

Merieke’s Esper Dragons

;

Nath of the Value Leaf

;

Rith’s Tokens

;

The Mill-Meoplasm

;

The Altar of Thraximundar

;

The Threat of Yasova

;

You Take the Crown, I’ll Take Leovold

;

Zombies of Tresserhorn

;

Four Color

Yidris: Money for Nothing, Cards for Free

;

Saskia Unyielding

;

Breya Reshaped

;

Five-Color

Children of a Greater God

Partners

Tana and Kydele

;

Kynaios and Tiro

;

Ikra and Kydele

THE DO-OVER PROJECT

Animar Do-Over

;

Glissa Do-Over

;

Karador Do-Over

;

Karador Version 3

;

Karrthus Do-Over

;

Steam-Powered Merieke

Do-Over;

Kresh Do-Over

;

Lord of Tresserhorn Do-Over

;

Mimeoplasm Do-Over

;

Phelddagrif Do-Over

;

Rith Do-Over

;

Ruhan Do-Over

If you’d like to follow the adventures of my Monday Night RPG group (in a
campaign that’s been alive since 1987) which is just beginning the saga The Lost Cities of Nevinor, ask for an invitation to the Facebook
group “Sheldon Menery’s
Monday Night Gamers.”