As we move into the beginning of Commander 2017 previews (and if you didn’t see mine from Wednesday, check out my Twitter account), I’m motivated to finish building decks with the Commander 2016 four-color commanders so that I can round out the Chromatic Project to assemble a deck of each of the (now) 32 possible color combinations. Today, it is Kynaios and Tiro of Meletis, which will leave me with only Atraxa, Praetors’ Voice to finish the set.
Despite Phelddagrif being one of my signature decks, I’m not a huge fan of group hug, which Kynaios and Tiro seem to be designed for. Most group hug decks seem nice at first and then make you suffer later by either punishing you for drawing cards, decking you with Forced Fruition, or killing you with (as in the Commander 2016 deck K&T come from) Treacherous Terrain. I want to go into less-explored territory with this fine pair. (Speaking of which, how sweet would it have been to have made both the card in this form and then a standalone version of Kynaios and one of Tiro, giving both partner?)
The trick here will be using Kynaios and Tiro in a fashion for which it wasn’t designed. We won’t be able to avoid having its ability trigger (except by not casting it, but then what’s the point?), so we’ll have to consider either mitigating the advantage it gives other players or simply ignoring it and just taking advantage of the fact that they get to do one thing and we get to do both. The latter approach is more compelling to me, but we can still give keep an eye open for the former.
I focused on two things. First, Kynaois and Tiro grant us extra land drops and additional card draw. Landfall can be quite a thing, so let’s run with it, which means paying attention to the number of lands I control. I also want to think about the lands which everyone else has. I don’t want to go the Acidic Soil route (since that’s kind of Ruhan’s thing in You Did This to Yourself), but playing lots of basic lands and some nonbasic hate is on the table.
I constantly struggle with the idea of hating on nonbasic lands. On one hand, I want other players to be able to play their decks. In Commander, I’d rather narrowly lose to someone at full strength than win when they can’t do anything (all bets are off in competitive formats). On the other hand, people often overcommit to nonbasic lands. There has to be some risk to playing all those multicolor lands and completely smoothing out your manabase. Some folks might think it’s inconsistent to believe that Ruination is an okay card but Armageddon isn’t, but that’s the space in which I find myself. From the Ashes seems a nice compromise.
Second, I want to get away from playing artifacts and enchantments (in this deck). I love both. I have lots of them in many decks. This will get me a little out of my comfort zone and allow me to play a few kind of techy cards. Here’s the list:
Creatures (40)
- 1 Solemn Simulacrum
- 1 Uyo, Silent Prophet
- 1 Budoka Gardener
- 1 Molimo, Maro-Sorcerer
- 1 Molder Slug
- 1 Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind
- 1 Coiling Oracle
- 1 Fertilid
- 1 Emeria Angel
- 1 Lotus Cobra
- 1 Oracle of Mul Daya
- 1 Rampaging Baloths
- 1 Roil Elemental
- 1 Admonition Angel
- 1 Avenger of Zendikar
- 1 Sun Titan
- 1 Consecrated Sphinx
- 1 Rubblehulk
- 1 Nylea, God of the Hunt
- 1 Thassa, God of the Sea
- 1 Bane of Progress
- 1 Angel of Finality
- 1 Karametra, God of Harvests
- 1 Courser of Kruphix
- 1 Realm Seekers
- 1 Chasm Skulker
- 1 Dragonlord Dromoka
- 1 Nissa, Vastwood Seer
- 1 Zendikar Incarnate
- 1 Oblivion Sower
- 1 Omnath, Locus of Rage
- 1 Oran-Rief Hydra
- 1 Undergrowth Champion
- 1 Emeria Shepherd
- 1 Bastion Protector
- 1 Ulvenwald Hydra
- 1 Kefnet the Mindful
- 1 Samut, Voice of Dissent
- 1 Neheb, the Eternal
- 1 The Locust God
Planeswalkers (3)
Lands (37)
Spells (19)
- 1 Kodama's Reach
- 1 Tangle
- 1 Akroma's Vengeance
- 1 Tranquil Grove
- 1 Equal Treatment
- 1 Return to Dust
- 1 Austere Command
- 1 Fracturing Gust
- 1 Explore
- 1 Cultivate
- 1 Praetor's Counsel
- 1 Cyclonic Rift
- 1 Urban Evolution
- 1 From the Ashes
- 1 Wave of Vitriol
- 1 The Great Aurora
- 1 Mystic Confluence
- 1 Rishkar's Expertise
- 1 Hour of Promise
Why Play It?
The deck is a novel take on landfall that’s not going to break anything. One of the complaints we hear about the format is that some players can’t resist ramp/ramp/win spell. This deck certainly isn’t in that mold, taking more of a ramp/ramp/”get involved in the game” angle. The main reason to play it is that it should create some memorable games.
You’ll Like This Deck If…
…you like ramping lands onto the battlefield. You’ll also like it if you enjoy casting creatures and getting into the Red Zone. Kynaios and Tiro don’t do so much battling themselves, but with that eight toughness backside, they’re nice on defense. The rest of the crew likes to turn sideways, especially knowing they’re protected from combat tricks by cards like Dragonlord Dromoka. I wish there was room to also include one of my favorite pieces of art, Basandra, Battle Seraph.
You Won’t Like This Deck If…
…you like a tight, linear strategy. As I mention, it doesn’t ramp into something specific; it ramps into some flexibility. After getting a few extra lands, you’ll have to figure out what comes next. If you want to know exactly what’s going to happen subsequently, this might not be your jam.
What Does It Do?
The deck gets extra lands, casts the commander, and then gets extra lands and cards—while sharing a little of the bounty with everyone. One of the things you’ll have to watch out for is that Kynaios and Tiro lets your opponents put any land onto the battlefield, so you might give them an unintended boost if they happen to have super-saucy lands like Gaea’s Cradle.
After it starts drawing cards, it summons creatures and draws more cards in order to summon creatures and draw more cards. It likes to deal damage in large chunks courtesy of creatures like Molimo, Maro-Sorcerer and Oran-Rief Hydra. The card draw gives it some long game, aided by Praetor’s Counsel, which should let you keep everything you draw. It also creates a hostile environment for artifacts and enchantments. The only one of the two (although I suppose we actually have to count Solemn Simulacrum as a second one) is Tranquil Grove, the aforementioned techy card, which can keep getting rid of other enchantments. To some extent, the deck also creates a hostile environment for nonbasic lands, although it doesn’t go as far as Ruination or Blood Moon.
What Doesn’t It Do?
The deck doesn’t have any straight-up combos, opting instead for being more of a good-stuff-style deck. Without the restriction on artifacts and enchantments, it could get a little comborrific, adding Psychosis Crawler to go with the card draw, along with other big hitters like Recurring Insight.
Other than getting a few extra lands, it doesn’t have much of an early-game. If it hits the right sequences, it’ll be fine, but it doesn’t have aggressive tutoring (actually, it doesn’t have any tutoring) to make sure that it does. This is a stylistic choice which works in my local group. Remember that your mileage may vary.
Although I cribbed some card ideas directly from Anthony’s deck in our Commander 2016 Rotisserie Draft, I didn’t include any of the dredge-like or land-bounce effects which he uses. There’s a whole line to go down there which I didn’t want to replicate—but he deserves a shout-out for a few of the ideas.
How Does It Lose?
Even with a few battlefield wipes and a few Fog effects, the deck isn’t particularly defensive. It wants to keep opponents on the ropes by doing its thing. It could definitely get blown out by a superior creature horde. It will also lose to an environment unfriendly to creatures, since they’re the major part of its offense. It doesn’t really cheat creatures onto the battlefield, so it won’t get stomped by Containment Priest. The will not have much of a chance against the kind of Nekusar, the Mindrazer decks you might see. I had actually considered Tomorrow, Azami’s Familiar as a defense against decks which damage you for drawing cards; if Nekusar, Underworld Dreams, or the like are common in your local environment, you’ll want to consider the card we affectionately call Mañana at the game shop.
Uh-oh.
Obviously, lands are the thing, so Armageddon effects will wreck the deck. You might think along the lines of Avacyn, Angel of Hope or Terra Eternal to protect your lands. Me mentioning it might start the eternal argument over whether or not Armageddon and the like are “fair” in Commander. To me, the answer is yes if everyone is on the same page. Part of having a great local environment is getting everyone talking about how they’d like their games to play out. There’s no moral high ground of either side of “if it’s legal, it’s fair” versus “we’d rather not play a particular way.” The key is communicating your expectations. If you wander outside your local group, remember that you might run into some differing opinions.
Cards That Aren’t There
The number one card which I decided to not play is Tireless Tracker.
It seems like good beats with all the card draw, but my near-100% commitment to no artifacts or enchantments got in the way. If you’re considering a deck like this but don’t want that same constraint, Tireless Tracker is a must-consider card.
The other thing which seems to be a natural fit for Kynaios and Tiro decks but I’ve chosen to avoid is a Clone suite. Because you’re helping opponents draw cards and perhaps ramp, they’ll be casting some pretty hefty stuff. Cheaply copying what they cast, via Stunt Double, Gigantiform, or Progenitor Mimic, is a strategy which has a great deal of merit. It’s also one which I’ve pursued in a large enough percentage of recent decks, which is one of the reasons I chose to not go in that direction.
The same idea pertains to a Threaten sub-theme. You could run all the favorites, like Yasova Dragonclaw, Mark of Mutiny, or Grab the Reins. I avoided heading this direction because I already have a Yasova Dragonclaw deck which does just that very thing—borrowing creatures, and even sometimes giving them back.
Summary
The Land of Kynaios and Tiro is the kind of deck which Commander, especially in a more casual environment, makes possible—one that isn’t focused on ending the game in a specific fashion but waits to see how the battlescape plays out. While it’s waiting, it gives itself the opportunity to do more on subsequent turns by increasing its resource base. This is without doubt a slower environment kind of deck, although it’s not a complete durdle-fest. In the middle turns, it can set the pace of play, assuming it isn’t already behind from the early turns. Given a little time, it’ll get you where you want to go.
This Week’s Idiotic Combo
This week’s combo is more of a “thing that happened” than an actual combo. It comes from the fertile mind of dear friend and Pro Tour historian Brian David-Marshall, who, along with his wife Karla, happened to visit us this past week. We didn’t have time to sling decks. They came over, we cooked (you can check out my food blog for details) and mixed a few cocktails. When I asked him about contributing an Idiotic Combo, he told me this story:
“My opponent was trying to mill me out with Phenax, God of Deception. I had about ten cards left in my deck, but this is kind of where my Sidisi, Brood Tyrant deck wants to live. I was able to cast Memory’s Journey on a few key cards and draw my Hedron Crab. I played it and cast Splendid Reclamation with some 28 lands in my graveyard and decked the decker. From there, I was able to Gnaw to the Bone to stay alive and Spider Spawn as much as I wanted and kill everyone with my Spider army. It was glorious.”
This week’s Deck Without Comment is the Lord of Tresserhorn Do-Over.
Creatures (29)
- 1 Solemn Simulacrum
- 1 Royal Assassin
- 1 Kiku, Night's Flower
- 1 Goblin Sharpshooter
- 1 Bone Shredder
- 1 Dross Harvester
- 1 Stronghold Assassin
- 1 Stalking Assassin
- 1 Lyzolda, the Blood Witch
- 1 Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder
- 1 Big Game Hunter
- 1 Cemetery Puca
- 1 Murderous Redcap
- 1 Emrakul's Hatcher
- 1 Pawn of Ulamog
- 1 Rapacious One
- 1 Myr Battlesphere
- 1 Consecrated Sphinx
- 1 Sheoldred, Whispering One
- 1 Falkenrath Noble
- 1 Rage Thrower
- 1 Blood Artist
- 1 Dark Impostor
- 1 Sepulchral Primordial
- 1 Purphoros, God of the Forge
- 1 Erebos, God of the Dead
- 1 Fate Unraveler
- 1 Liliana, Heretical Healer
- 1 Sifter of Skulls
Lands (37)
Spells (33)
- 1 Journeyer's Kite
- 1 Fellwar Stone
- 1 Dingus Staff
- 1 Underworld Dreams
- 1 Grave Pact
- 1 Plague Wind
- 1 Read the Runes
- 1 Plunge into Darkness
- 1 Ashnod's Altar
- 1 Sword of Light and Shadow
- 1 Sword of Fire and Ice
- 1 Wayfarer's Bauble
- 1 Altar of Shadows
- 1 Black Market
- 1 Attrition
- 1 Cultural Exchange
- 1 Dawn of the Dead
- 1 Goblin Assault
- 1 Vicious Shadows
- 1 Cruel Ultimatum
- 1 Carnage Altar
- 1 Eldrazi Monument
- 1 Chain Reaction
- 1 Sword of War and Peace
- 1 Blasphemous Act
- 1 Trading Post
- 1 Dictate of Erebos
- 1 In Garruk's Wake
- 1 Necromantic Selection
- 1 Palace Siege
- 1 Sword of the Animist
- 1 Vampiric Rites
- 1 Deadly Tempest
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; 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
Partners
Ikra and Kydele; Tana 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; 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.”