Fate Reforged Commander Updates!

Even more exciting for me than doing a set review is updating all my existing decks with cards from the new set. It seems like just yesterday that I was
making the Khans of Tarkir updates, and here we are again-this time with more dragons. I maintain a configuration control document for each of my decks, so
I know (theoretically, since occasionally I’ve forgotten to make the changes) exactly when I put new cards in and what I took out. That way I have evidence
if some cards aren’t working well or just haven’t found the right home (like was the case for Wurmcoil Engine for a long time). For each new set that comes
out, things get trickier, as it becomes that much more difficult to find spots in decks. Fortunately, I have the Do Over Project in the wings. It will provide me with more opportunities
to slip slick new cards into decks. For those of you who haven’t been previously along for this ride, I make an initial effort to put only one of any of
the new cards into my existing decks. It makes the whole thing a slightly more difficult exercise, and I don’t default into using just the same cards
everywhere. One of the main reasons to have so many decks is so that I can have a broad scope of play experiences; doing it this way makes that possible.

Here are all my decks, the changes from this set, and why. Note that I haven’t listed the Modular Decks because I’m thinking about scrapping the project.
If I only had a few decks to choose from, it’s a great idea. I found myself looking at the Modular Decks box and not picking it up because I didn’t want to
bother with swapping cards around; it was just simpler to pick up one of the other 30+ decks there. Especially since I’m not regularly traveling to events
and probably won’t be at least for another two years until I finish my degree, the thing makes a little less sense. I’ll keep you posted if I do something
new with it.

ADUN’S TOOLBOX

Out:

In:

An additional Oversold Cemetery is good beats for this deck. I had put Fires of Yavimaya in mostly to be able to use Adun Oakenshield right away but found
that I generally didn’t need or have the mana to. A few of the other creatures benefitted from it, but in the trim, it didn’t do as much as it might in a
more aggressive deck.

ANIMAR’S SWARM

Out:

In:

“That’ll go great in Animar!” is a common refrain and isn’t really a measure of how good a card is. With all the enters-the-battlefield triggers, here are
numerous creatures in the deck that Flamerush Rider will be happy to copy. My one concern with Shaman of the Great Hunt is that since the deck likes to
bounce my own creatures, the counters will get wasted; that’s less of a concern since Animar will be getting them too. I’m not completely sold on Ethereal
Ambush or manifest, in general (it seems pretty crappy when you have lots of etb triggers), but in this deck, again with bouncing the creatures, I can get
some value out of it-and in the rare occasion that what I manifest isn’t a creature, I can get it back to use it anyway. I cut Keiga to put her (and more
dragons) into Merieke. I was simply tired of playing Primal Surge, especially in a deck that’s nearly all permanents. I might actually replace that slot
down the road with Praetor’s Counsel. I had slotted in Invasive Species in order to protect stuff, but without flash, it’s not quite what I want.

AURELIA GOES TO WAR

Out:

In:

Dragonrage is going to kill someone one day. If I can keep creatures alive even a few turns, Dragonscale General will get out of hand. It’s interesting
that I’m cutting two cards that in a vacuum seem too good to cut. I found through playing the deck that I rarely had the mana for Mind’s Eye, and there
wasn’t really anything back-breaking to get with Academy Rector.

CHILDREN of a LESSER GOD

No changes. The deck is too new, and I want to run it through some paces first.

EREBOS and the HALLS OF THE DEAD

No changes

GLISSA, GLISSA

Out:

In:

Many, many artifacts mean many, many counters on Scroll of the Masters. Glissa could become two-shot lethal. Clockwork Dragon was an easy cut because I
have plans for it in a later deck.

HELIOD, GOD OF ENCHANTMENTS

No changes

DREAMING OF INTET

Out:

In:

I didn’t want to separate Yasova Dragonclaw from her brother Surrak, but this deck is slowly gaining the Threaten subtheme, which you’ll also notice from
the inclusion of Molten Primordial. I found that the deck provides enough control that I didn’t need Champion of Lambholt all that often. And please don’t
read anything into the fact that I’m taking Deadeye Navigator out of two decks. This one doesn’t have enough enters-the-battlefield triggers in it anymore
to take advantage of DEN. The card is not getting banned.

KAALIA and HER DEMONS

Out:

In:

I just want to give Mastery of the Unseen a chance. If it doesn’t work out, I can always remove it. The deck is wrong for Dark Prophecy; I think I had just
shoved it in there because I wanted to find a home for it. I’ll consider putting it in Erebos, God of the Dead or even Rakdos, Lord of Riots.

KARN, BEATDOWN GOLEM

Out:

In:

I said it last week, I’ll say it again. Ugin is not good news for Painter’s Servant fans. This is the obvious deck for our new spirit dragon friend.
Ulamog’s Crusher was kind of a throw in, so it was the first off the lifeboat.

HALLOWEEN WITH KARADOR

Out:

In:

With a sacrifice outlet, Rally the Ancestors is going to be bonkers. I might need to put Riftsweeper back into the deck just to get it back. Sudden
Reclamation will help protect my graveyard a little and be able to let me recast something if Karador isn’t around. The Karador Do Over deck is going to
deal with +1/+1 counters, so I wanted to free it up. Tooth and Nail is obviously a great card, but I’ve been playing it for so long I thought I’d just give
it a rest.

KARRTHUS, WHO RAINS FIRE FROM THE SKY

Out:

In:

Karrthus is obviously the deck that gets the biggest bump from Fate Reforged. I took out a few of the damage-dealing spells in order to put in more
damage-dealing dragons. Crux of Fate obviously had to go into this as a cheaper Plague Wind-especially since people aren’t going to want to cast their
dragons for fear that I’m going to steal them with Karrthus. Early on, Frontier Siege will provide fuel to cast those big, flying monsters. If I cast it
later, it’ll all be about the fighting.

KRESH INTO THE RED ZONE

Out:

In:

It will take some mana, but one of these days, Ghastly Conscription is going to be murderous. Too bad the creatures won’t trigger Flayer of the Hatebound
(since they come in from exile). I originally put Whisperwood Elemental into Nath of the Gilt Leaf, but it’s so good that I wanted to put it into a deck
that I play more often. I’m serious about playing fewer tutors, so Demonic Tutor is out of here (and Lord of Tresserhorn as well). Molten Primordial is
gone because it had a seat waiting for him on the Intet joyride.

LAVINIA BLINKS

No changes

LAZAV, SHAPESHIFTING MASTERMIND

Out:

In:

Supplant Form just has so many possibilities and so much flexibility, it’s difficult to describe. I have a little discard in the deck in case someone
pitches something spicy to copy with Lazav, but it’s an on-board trick that most folks won’t fall for.

ZOMBIES OF TRESSERHORN

Out:

In:

In this deck, the choice will almost always be Khans. I want zombies and more zombies in my graveyard for eventual Tombstone Stairwell or Patriarch’s
Bidding nonsense. As mentioned, Demonic Tutor is finding its way to the bench.

MELEK’S MOLTEN MIND GRIND

No changes

MERIEKE’S ESPER CONTROL

Out:

In:

When I started working on this update, I didn’t really have the plan of dragon-izing Merieke. When I was looking for things to take out of Animar, I saw
Keiga and the light went on. Ojutai and Silumgar have control written all over them, so expect Merieke to move even further in this direction. The downside
will be someone cloning Silumgar and me never being able to recast Merieke.

THE MILL-MEOPLASM

Out:

In:

There were a few other cards which I had considered for The Mimeoplasm, but room was tight. I like how the deck functions right now. Fascination will
almost always do more of what Dreadwaters does, plus it has the upside of being able to draw cards-or stroke someone out when they’re mostly milled.

NATH of the VALUE LEAF

No Changes

OBZEDAT, GHOST KILLER

No changes

PURPHOROS and HIS ANVIL

Out:

In:

I figured if we damage people for creatures coming into play, we might as well do damage when they leave. Exuberant Firestoker was always intended to be
just a mana rock, but I found that the deck runs reasonably well without needing it.

PURPLE HIPPOS and MARO SORCERERS

Out:

In:

Thanks to helpful reader Shaun Patrick for pointing out that I can always put Fruit of the First Tree on someone else’s creature. This Phelddagrif deck is
all about drawing cards, so some lifegain won’t hurt. Put it on your own creature and then cast Momentous Fall for double the pleasure! Karn was in this
deck solely so I could attack with Spine of Ish Sah. Now that he’s piloting his own, it felt wrong to make such limited use of him.

ZEGANA and a DICE BAG

Out:

In:

Ainok Guide is somewhat an upgraded Sylvan Ranger. Battlefront Krushok paired with Crowned Ceratok will kill people. Momir Vig is a casualty of the No Tutors
Crusade.

RAKDOS: LIFE IS SHORT

Out:

In:

Creatures get damaged; Hooded Assassin takes care of the rest. There really wasn’t enough in the deck for Bosh to fling around, so he went home.

RITH’S TOKENS

Out:

In:

Wardscale Dragon is an onboard trick, but it means I’ll know before combat if someone is going to play Fog, which means I then don’t have to attack. I
almost put Shamanic Revelation into Trostani instead, but it doesn’t have an angel theme. It should draw a fair number of cards in this deck and gain quite
a bit of life-which made Wall of Reverence expendable. I had dreams of Launch the Fleet being crazy with Gaea’s Cradle, but it never panned out.

YOU DID THIS TO YOURSELF

Out:

In:

This deck already leads to epic plays. I see more of them in its future with Soulfire Grand Master. As Ben Kersey pointed out in the forums, it’s not a
lifelink combo with Reflect Damage since the original source is dealing the damage, but the buyback is awesome-especially with a card like that. When
people know you have it in your hand, they’re scared to do stuff. Valorous Stance is a card there because of the Sunforger package. I had actually
considered not putting Comeuppance in the deck just to troll Monday Night Gamer and all-around good man Todd Palmer (since we recently had a game in which
he played around it the whole game only to find out I hadn’t put it in the deck yet), but the card is too awesome to be the punchline of a joke that gets
less funny every time you tell it. Chromeshell Crab is now gone because there’s no Willbender in the deck any more. Essence Backlash never paid the
dividends that I had hoped. Harsh Justice got cut because I have to take damage before it will do its thing, and if I’m dead, it won’t trigger. No one
wants that.

RURIC THAR AND HIS BEASTLY FIGHT CLUB

Out:

In:

Immerwolf is out in favor of Temur War Shaman because I’m dropping the werewolf part from the fight club. They were shoehorned in anyway, and I’d like the
deck to function a little better. Temur War Shaman will be awesome, since the deck is nearly 100% permanents and it fits right into the fight club theme.

THASSA, GOD OF MERFOLK

No Changes

THE ALTAR OF THRAXIMUNDAR

Out:

In:

Remember when demons used to hurt you? Not anymore. They’re bros. Archfiend of Depravity neuters Avenger of Zendikar pretty well. With the other sacrifice
tricks, like Merciless Executioner, I should be able to keep the path pretty clear for Thraximundar to battle. I found that when the deck is working, I
don’t need Amphin Pathmage to help get through; when it’s not, Amphin Pathmage isn’t the answer I need. The deck doesn’t generate mana well enough to make
Bloodfire Colossus reasonable-although it’s completely awesome to Sneak Attack in.

TROSTANI and HER ANGELS

Out:

In:

I scheduled Winds of Qal Sisma to go into the deck thinking that I’d just replace whatever Fog effect I had in there. Turns out I didn’t have one. Guardian
Seraph has been in the deck since day one and not done much, mostly because no one plays Pestilence or Thrashing Wumpus.

Here’s the disposition of all the cards that I put on the “Definitely Will Get Played” list, plus the others that I’ve fit into decks. I’d like to thank
reader Lee Lef Owens for pointing out that it might be better to list the mono-colored generals under the multicolored section since they’re potentially
commanders, and their color identities are multicolored.

White

Dragonscale General: Aurelia

Mardu Woe-Reaper: Aurelia

Mastery of the Unseen: Kaalia

Rally the Ancestors: Karador

Soulfire Grand Master: Ruhan

Valorous Stance: Ruhan

Wardscale Dragon: Rith

Blue

Fascination: Mimeoplasm

Monastery Siege: Lord of Tresserhorn

Supplant Form: Lazav

Torrent Elemental: Future

Write Into Being: Saving for the future

Black

Archfiend of Depravity: Thraximundar

Brutal Hordechief: Kaalia Do Over

Crux of Fate: Karrthus

Dark Deal: Had in Mimeoplasm for a bit, couldn’t find room

Ghastly Conscription: Kresh

Hooded Assassin: Rakdos

Mardu Strike Leader: Kaalia Do Over

Merciless Executioner: Thraximundar

Palace Siege: Adun Oakenshield

Red

Arcbond: Ruhan

Dragonrage: Aurelia

Flamerush Rider: Animar

Outpost Siege: Purphoros

Shaman of the Great Hunt: Animar

Shockmaw Dragon: Karrthus

Green

Ainok Guide: Prime Speaker

Battlefront Krushok: Prime Speaker

Destructor Dragon: Karrthus

Frontier Siege: Karrthus

Fruit of the First Tree: Phelddagrif

Shamanic Revelation: Rith

Sudden Reclamation: Karador

Temur Sabertooth: Save for future

Temur War Shaman: Ruric Thar

Warden Of The First Tree: Karador Do Over

Whisperwood Elemental: Kresh

Winds of Qal Sisma: Trostani

Multicolor

Alesha, Who Smiles At Death: Kaalia Do-Over

Atarka, World Render: Karrthus

Daghatar the Adamant: Karador Do Over

Dromoka, the Eternal: Future

Ethereal Ambush: Animar

Harsh Sustenance: Kaalia Do-Over

Kolaghan, the Storm’s Fury: Karrthus

Ojutai, Soul of Winter: Merieke

Shu Yun, the Silent Tempest: Saving for the future

Silumgar, the Drifting Death: Merieke

Tasigur, the Golden Fang: Mimeoplasm Do-Over

Yasova Dragonclaw: Intet

Colorless, Artifact, and Land

Ugin, the Spirit Dragon: Karn

Scroll of the Masters: Glissa

Crucible of the Spirit Dragon: Karrthus

You can see that the Kaalia of the Vast and Karador, Ghost Chieftain Do Overs are starting to build themselves. They’ll probably be two of the decks that I
build the earliest in that project.

Another nice set, and another substantial update from it for my decks. Now all that’s left is actually getting the cards and sitting down on a Sunday
afternoon to make the changes.

This week’s Deck Without Comment is the updated version of Karrthus, Who Rains Fire from the Sky.

Here is the latest database version of all my decks:

ADUN’S TOOLBOX
; ANIMAR’S SWARM;AURELIA GOES to WAR;CHILDREN of a LESSER GOD;DEMONS OF KAALIA;EREBOS and the HALLS OF THE DEAD;GLISSA, GLISSA;HELIOD, GOD of ENCHANTMENTS;DREAMING OF INTET;FORGE OF PURPHOROS;KARN, BEATDOWN GOLEM;HALLOWEEN WITH KARADOR;KARRTHUS, WHO RAINS FIRE FROM THE SKY;KRESH INTO the RED ZONE;LAVINIA BLINKS;LAZAV, SHAPESHIFTING MASTERMIND;ZOMBIES OF TRESSERHORN;MELEK’S MOLTEN MIND GRIND;MERIEKE’S ESPER CONTROL;THE MILL-MEOPLASM;NATH of the VALUE LEAF;NYLEA OF THE WOODLAND REALM,OBZEDAT, GHOST KILLER;PURPLE HIPPOS and MARO SORCERERS;ZEGANA and a DICE BAG;RAKDOS: LIFE IS SHORT;RITH’S TOKENS;YOU DID THIS TO YOURSELF;RURIC THAR and HIS BEASTLY FIGHT CLUB;THASSA, GOD of MERFOLK;THE ALTAR of THRAXIMUNDAR; TROSTANI and HER ANGELS

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