Welcome to the 99th installment of Dear Azami!

Actually, that’s not entirely true. Some of you faithful readers have been around since my co-author and founding father Sean McKeown began a little series dedicated to Commander back almost 100 episodes ago. He called it 99 Problems, a strong homage to the deck construction guidelines that help to make the format we play and love so interesting and unique.

The first article, found here, was a fantastic introduction to Commander; in it, Sean discussed the foundations of the format, including looks at the fundamental difference between it and competitive formats, the importance of card advantage, and the concept of choosing and building around your commander. A few weeks later, Sean focused an entire article on a look at building a mono-black Ob Nixilis the Fallen deck, and the modern format for Dear Azami was born.

Before long, fan mail submissions became a centralized feature of the column, and not long after that Sean’s weekly article took on the name that you know and love today, a riff on the famed Dear Abby advice column due to the new focus on helping those in need of it.

And so things progressed until spring of last year. Almost a year ago to the day, I heeded the call to help Sean out with writing duties so that he could focus on all of the important things in his life. It was initially a temporary assignment, more of a try-out than anything. Thankfully, I was a good fit, and here we both are today, shoulder to shoulder co-authoring this series you read right now.

Today, we reach the eve of the centennial celebration of Sean’s original Commander vision, one that I now share and fully embrace as well. We had been discussing what to do to celebrate the milestone; one of the cool things about how we alternate writing duties from week to week is that in this case we both get a shot at adding to the occasion. Clearly, the 100th edition is a special one for obvious reasons, but equally so is this one for all the reasons stated above. Shared duties, shared celebration.

I can’t get into details on what happens next week, although I will say that special occasions call for special considerations. (Sean has something pretty cool lined up, so don’t miss it!). For this week, though, we discussed finding a special angle, and we settled on “The 99th Problem.” Over the course of 100 articles, we’ve covered (and in some cases double-covered) tons of different commanders all across the Magic spectrum—some old, some brand-new, some common choices, and some way off in the middle of nowhere on the popularity scale.

But we haven’t hit everything by a long shot. In fact, Sean was willing to bet that we probably missed some low-hanging fruit over the past few years, so we decided that was it—I’d go back, comb the archives, and find the commander that clearly should have been covered by now but for some reason has fallen through the cracks. This should be as near to the most popular general never to see a key feature in Dear Azami as possible; one that, if asked, either of us would swear that it was in there somewhere.

The 99th Problem. In celebration of the first hundred installments of 99 Problems / Dear Azami, I’m solving that problem.

While there were a few options that I could have gone with, Kresh stood out as the obvious choice. It is a card printed in the modern era of powerful commanders with flashy abilities, and during the boom of Commander as a format, so many players have built a Kresh deck and many more have faced one. Our very own Sheldon Menery, godfather of the format and one of the members of the Rules Committee, has a Kresh the Bloodbraided deck that has come to be his true signature deck, even mores o than the benchmark Phelddagrif list that he was originally well known for. In fact, when I originally set out to create a Kresh deck of my own, Sheldon’s list was my starting point.

Imitation and all that.

Anyway, the choice to run with everyone’s favorite cornrowed Human Warrior seemed pretty obvious to me. I wasn’t about to let this column go into the triple digits without a nod to one of the most popular commanders ever printed.

I picked. I spread the word to Sean, who loved the choice.

Then, I went in the tank for several days trying to find a damn angle to take.

The Real 99th Problem

Here’s the thing; you can pick up a rock at a large Magic tournament, throw it, and probably hit someone with a Kresh deck. (Pro tip: Don’t.) And if you then ask the stunned and bleeding victim if you can take a look through his or her list (and he or she is coherent enough and not suitably furious to the point of refusing you), it’s probably going to look pretty similar to a lot of other lists out there owned by people you missed with that rock.

-There’s Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord and Lord of Extinction.

-There’s Hamletback Goliath.

-There’s Living Death.

-There’s a handful of Fling effects.

-There’s Greater Good, High Market, and some other sacrifice effects.

It keeps going like this. Now, I’m not trying to say that this is a bad thing. I think people need to access Commander in whatever way they see fit, and people will build and play in whatever way suits them.

The problem is that I’ve developed a reputation for taking the path less traveled when it comes to deck design. I could show you all how to build this deck, but it isn’t information that isn’t easily available on any website with a section dedicated to Commander. If I’m going to produce something here, it has to be something different and unexpected. I want you, the readers, to feel like you’re getting your money’s worth when you read what I write, even if the deck I deliver isn’t up your alley. It may not be perfect, but I want to try to give readers that tune in for what I write something different to take away.

And on this special occasion, I really wanted to deliver something unexpected. So I grabbed a copy of Kresh, read it, looked at the art, read it again, made a bowl of cereal, watched a few episodes of Archer I had on DVR, looked at it again, went to bed, and forgot completely about it until the next night.

That night was Commander night at the shop, and knowing the article was due in short order, I still took the night off from writing to play some games. I thought that it might help to clear my mind and take a fresh perspective.

Unfortunately, a few games in and I was still drawing a blank. Way to give proper respect to a big article, guy…

This was about the time that Patrick, my close friend and co-writer over on GeneralDamageControl.com, asked me how the writing was going for the week. I’m sure a grown man bursting into tears in a little game store in front of a group of college kids probably wasn’t the response he was expecting.

Seeing The Sailboat

I explained the situation. It was just like the movie Mallrats, where the character of William stands in front of the optical illusion poster all day looking for the image of the sailboat but never sees it. I felt like the angle for the Kresh deck was right there in front of me, but I just couldn’t quite focus on it. Frustrating would be an understatement.

Patrick didn’t miss a beat.

“Twenty-two braids.”

No thanks, I said. I keep my hair shaved in the summer to stay cool.

“No…twenty-two braids. Look at the flavor text.”

So I picked up the card for the thousandth time and actually bothered to read the words at the bottom:

Patrick continued.

“Kresh has a braid for each opponent he has taken down. Make the deck that tells those stories.”

Light bulb. There’s the sailboat. (Schooner. Whatever.)

We discussed things further. To really nail the theme of the deck, we decided that it would have exactly 22 creatures in it, one to represent each of the foes Kresh has vanquished. These would be legendary creatures; after all, no one particularly cares about the Sakura-Tribe Elder that he flattened on the way to do battle with Stonebrow, Krosan Hero. There would also be exactly 22 pieces of removal, which serve to tell the story of how Kresh defeated each one.

That would leave somewhere between fifteen and twenty slots left to flesh out the deck; these would be used to meet some additional flavor points, add in some mana fixing and acceleration, card draw, and hopefully make the deck a viable one to play rather than just a fanciful take on a design angle that would likely be crushed each time it was shuffled up.

You all know I love taking on interesting design constrictions. This might be the mother of them all. (It might be terrible too. The jury is out.)

For the record, Patrick is a godsend. I’d probably still be on the couch eating Cheerios and watching cooking shows on the Food Network if he wasn’t there to kick me into place. (Sean, if I ever get hit by a bus, give him a call. He knows his stuff!)

We put in a little brainstorming time, brewed up a list, I talked Patrick down from trying to suggest a subtheme based around an obscure 2 Live Crew song, we tuned things to a reasonably good place, and I fired up Microsoft Word.

Without further ado, here’s Kresh: The 99th Problem Solved.

The Conquered And How They Died

Obviously, Kresh wants to have things head off to the graveyard a lot, so the creature base needs to be supportive. Removal is really important. Sacrifice effects are always strong as well, and as a result there is a nod to some token creation to help ease the pain. The deck wants to work like a toolbox, so slots also need to be devoted to draw and utility to make things tick.

IN: Kazuul, Tyrant of the Cliffs; Plague Wind

Kazuul is a reasonably sized body for the casting cost. The ability has pretty solid pillow-fort style, as it says nothing about having to block anything. Come on in with a flyer, and you’re still paying three or making an Ogre.

Kresh can’t match up against either Kazuul or the Ogre out of the box, so the removal needs to take down a team and leave him standing long enough to pick up some serious counters. Plague Wind fits the bill.

IN: Urabrask the Hidden, Auger Spree

Haste. Haste, haste, haste. Did I mention haste? Kresh loves haste. The added tapping effect for your opponents is a nice way to prevent from getting blown out by the guy with In the Web of War and Avenger of Zendikar.

Sadly (for Urabrask), Kresh is all hopped up from taking down Kazuul, so it’s drill time, and the haste means the removal needs to be at instant speed. Once Kresh is suitably large enough, this can be a nice little offensive boost as well.

IN: Kaervek the Merciless, Terminate

Boy, do I despise Kaervek. It’s one of those commanders that just threatens the board from the command zone, and wreaks absolute havoc when it finally hits play. Left unchecked, Kaervek is a powerful and flexible removal tool and finisher rolled into one, and passively at that. You will get some value out of it, unless an opponent has some permanent-based removal waiting to go.

Speaking of, Kresh needs something cheaper than a casting cost of three or Kaervek wins the battle. Terminate does the trick nicely.

IN: Stonebrow, Krosan Hero; Annihilate

A nice beater for the cost. Six trampling power for five mana is a great deal.

Not great enough to dodge some cantripping removal, though. This deck wants card draw wherever it can find it, so removal that replaces itself is a great deal.

IN: Sek’Kuar, Deathkeeper; Beast Within

This is a good reason for leveraging sacrifice effects. If Stonebrow was a good deal at five mana for six power in combat, Sek’Kuar is over the top with the ability to drop three-power hasted creatures virtually at will. This is another solid offensive tool in Kresh’s belt.

Or braid, as the case may be. It is really hard to manage Sek’Kuar without leaving at least a single Graveborn token behind, so something that gets in at instant speed before something can go to the graveyard and trigger him is important. In this case, Beast Within is also a double-duty answer for anything else that might pop up, which is really crucial to have on hand.

IN: Tsabo Tavok, Putrefy

I’m incredibly surprised Tsabo Tavok doesn’t see more play in Commander. It’s a custom-built answer to a card type that you can be guaranteed to face in every matchup, but you can pick up copies for under two bucks. Usually, the Commander version of the Midas Touch turns anything solid in the format into big dollars, but Tsabo still sneaks in under the radar. (I know—casting cost. I get it. Still, it chump blocks and kills most commanders out there, sneaks past every single one, and shoots down the non-hexproof rest. What’s not to love?)

Putrefy takes care of business here in either mode. (Checks Gatherer.) Wait—Tsabo isn’t an artifact? Can someone please explain this to me? It and Memnarch probably went to summer camp together. This makes no sense at all…

IN: Reki, the History of Kamigawa; Murder

Reki is the premier draw engine in an all-legendary creatures deck like this. There’s not much else to day.

To: Mr. Bloodbraided

From: Monks of Kamigawa

Re: Reki

Thank you for going with plain-old Murder. We have ten years of transcribing Reki’s tattoos ahead of us, and that Augur Spree thing you did to Urabrask would have made it awfully hard.

To show our appreciation, please accept the attached fruit basket. (You look like you could use the vitamin C. Just saying.)

IN: Visara the Dreadful, Wrecking Ball

Another solid addition to the removal list, Visara is part of the old guard of creatures that happened pre-Ravnica. (Read: Good lord, creatures got better in recent releases!) Nevertheless, she represents a solid removal benchmark and a decent flying beater as well.

You know what a Gorgon has a hard time turning to stone? A wrecking ball. (Checks Gather.) Seriously?!?!? “Ball” as in “May I please have this dance, milady?”

Shows you how much attention I was paying when Dissension came out. Also, not nearly as cool. I was picturing Helldozer here. Way better.

IN: Lyzolda, the Blood Witch; Volcanic Fallout

If there’s another legend that plays nicer with Kresh, I’m not entirely sure what it is. Kresh gets bigger, something gets domed for two damage, and I draw a card? And this costs me two colorless mana? Wow. Wait—no summoning sickness to worry about either? Yes please!

… And then Kresh throws a volcano at her. Good call, guy.

IN: Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder; Mogg Infestation

There should be a lot of higher casting cost creatures flying around from this deck, so Endrek Sahr should provide a decent bit of value. The nice thing is that most of them also fall in at six or less mana, meaning two triggers should hit before he keels over and dies. That’s some solid value. (Here’s to hoping Lyzolda is still around at this point.)

Mogg Infestation is like strapping a turbocharger on Kresh’s main ability. Endrek drops dead, a dozen or so Thrulls follow suit, Kresh gets a boatload of counters, and twice that many Goblins show up.

Oh. That last part might be a problem.

IN: Nath of the Gilt-Leaf, Overwhelming Forces

In a deck like this, some amount of hand disruption is a good idea. There are some threats that will be hard to manage, and being able to put pressure on the player sandbagging removal when your commander loses its counters upon dying is a good idea. Getting some tokens out of the deal is not bad, either.

Remember those Goblins from before? 

Simple math here:

-Goblins, Nath, Elves.

–Overwhelming Forces

-???

-Profit!

Serious profit. Kresh is a monster, and you have just drawn all of the cards. There is no downside here at all. (Well, other than the price tag on Overwhelming Forces.)

IN: Braids, Cabal Minion; Void

Braids provides another solid sacrifice outlet to continue to feed the machine. She provides an interesting and painful decision tree and triggers on each player’s turn, which is exactly the effect this deck wants. It’s no wonder she is banned as a commander.

I figure that one good turn deserves another. In the same way that Braids can work on multiple permanent types, Void can as well. It hits multiple permanents at the same time, and is both a solid way to gain information and a great way to throw a wrench into the works for your opponent’s hand as well.

IN: Ruric Thar, the Unbowed; Executioner’s Capsule

Ruric is no joke, even in Commander. The six damage is going to likely hit at least once (assuming immediate removal), and even at forty life that’s not exactly inconsequential. On top of that, both vigilance and reach are nice touches for a big body (raise your hands if you or someone you know forgot about the reach aspect at the Dragon’s Maze prerelease), and while the attack trigger is technically a downside, I like the aggressive nature and flavor here.

To dodge that six damage, Kresh needs an activated ability already in play to take Ruric down. Executioner’s Capsule is the perfect fit if you’re able to look past the ridiculousness of a Human Warrior trying to feed a two-headed Giant a little pill.

IN: Kagemaro, First to Suffer; Dreadbore

Kagemaro is a classic selection for me. I have many, many fond memories of recurring this off of a Phyrexian Reclamation to keep a game under turbo-lockdown.

Wait—that’s not totally true. This was Patrick’s signature play for a very long time. Scratch “fond” and replace with “exasperating.”

Sadly, there’s not much that can be done to remove Kagemaro without first soaking up a huge chunk of removal that is incredibly hard to side step even for indestructible creatures. Dreadbore seems like a nice and violent way to pay tribute to this awful (and incredibly effective) thing. Here’s to hoping that the Overwhelming Forces play above already went down and Kresh is big enough to sidestep the effect.

IN: Kuon, Ogre Ascendant; Vengeful Rebirth

Most old-school players have fond memories of The Abyss. Kuon is right at home in a removal-heavy deck like this, and this is one Abyss with no strings attached—having artifact creatures floating around won’t help this time.

Kuon costs three. So does Beast Within, so Kresh can grab that back with Vengeful Rebirth, pop off Kuon, and then have something to deal with Kuon’s Essence afterward. Nice and tidy.

IN: Adun Oakenshield, Jund Charm

It’s nearly a written rule at this point: I need some old-school flavor to spice things up and take me back to the good old days. Adun also just happens to provide a good, solid bit of repeatable recursion, which this deck needs to stay in a position to keep threats and answers flowing.

Jund Charm is a nice little piece of tech; the removal portion is enough to take out Adun and leave Kresh standing, and it can also do a heck of a job of leaving Adun with no graveyard targets to take advantage of. Not bad.

IN: Yeva, Nature’s Herald; Bituminous Blast

If there’s a static ability I like more than haste, it’s flash. My main goal when building, as I’ve said in the past, is to always try to make decks that let me play the game all of the time. Since a good portion of the deck—including Kresh—is affected by Yeva, she’s an easy include to gain an edge in the flexibility department.

And in order to gain an edge in the card advantage department, Kresh gets to leverage a quick four damage to Yeva’s dome with a little present attached. The relatively low curve of this deck means that Bit Blast ought to deliver something relevant every time.

IN: Kiku, Night’s Flower; Incendiary Command

Back before there was the “fight” mechanic, there was Kiku. She is the Magic card version of the bully that pins you to the ground and makes you slap yourself across the face while repeating “you shouldn’t hit yourself!”

She also dies to a stiff breeze. In this case, the stiff breeze comes with a bonus of some extra damage to your opponent, the ability to finally get rid of that pesky Kor Haven, or a situational limited Wheel of Fortune.

IN: Glissa, the Traitor; Decimate

The cheap package, the deathtouch, and the first strike make Glissa a solid rattlesnake that hits early. So far, the ability to get back Executioner’s Capsule is a nice utility as well; I’ll see what else I can add to the list later on. (Stupid Tsabo Tavok…)

With Glissa around, there ought to be an artifact or two as well, which makes it a bit easier to make sure that Decimate has targets and can be announced and cast. In Commander, it is pretty rare that this doesn’t fall into place, so Decimate should be solid value most of the time.

IN: Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief; Disaster Radius

Drana is another underutilized card in this format in my opinion. She’s very reasonably costed for her size and evasion, and once the game gets going she has the potential to be both a fearsome removal source and a solid finisher all by herself. Maybe the flavor text falls a little short, but what can you do?

We’re getting down to the end. Kresh is getting a little punchy, so Disaster Radius is likely a bit of overkill here. Still, it will likely end up as a one-sided Wrath of God with the caliber of creatures this deck aims to produce, so it deserves a slot.

IN: Sheoldred, Whispering One; Decree of Pain

Is anyone else noticing how many creatures this deck is turning out to have with commas in their names?

Anyway, Sheoldred is a very strong option in this deck. Now, I know you’re likely saying, “Yeah, it’s good in every deck, buddy.” And you’re pretty much right, to be fair. In this deck, Kresh gets that critical sacrifice outlet (one-sided to boot!) and gets a solid Debtors’ Knell esque recursion source as well. This is exactly the utility package the deck needs to see.

The overkill continues. Given enough time, Sheoldred should be able to rebuild a decent army, so Decree is going to provide a no-holds-barred removal option and some solid card draw on top of that. Fantastic!

Except that I can’t think of a good way that Kresh side steps this and lives. Er…

Ah ha!

IN: Darksteel Plate

I’m a writer. I get to reap the benefits of creative allowance. Comes with the territory.

IN: Thromok the Insatiable, Doubling Season, Damnation

In all honesty, Kresh probably doesn’t make it out alive past this thing, either. With Kresh’s counter adding ability and all of the token creators, Doubling Season would be good enough. As it is, I couldn’t help but add Thromok, if for no other reason than what happens if Kresh and Doubling Season do their thing for a bit and then Thromok hits and devours Kresh. It literally boggles the mind how big it could get.

Damnation is at the end of the list for two solid reasons. First, it ends up as the benchmark yin to Wrath of God’s yang, and as such is as simple as it gets in the removal option category.

Secondly, there’s the theme element. Kresh has taken a lot of lives, including at least one that was minding his own business and didn’t deserve it (Reki) and one doing an excellent job of helping out (Lyzolda). Not cool, Kresh, not cool. Damnation indeed.

The Rest Of The Story

There’s still a bit of the supporting cast left to reveal.

IN: Kodama’s Reach, Cultivate, Explosive Vegetation

Fortunately, this deck has a relatively low mana curve, topping out at seven or eight but spending a good chunk of time in at four and five. As a result, going a little heavier on the lands and including only a few strong mana fixers/accelerators will work out just fine.

IN: Champion’s Helm

In addition to the Darksteel Plate, the Helm is a great way to protect Kresh in particular from targeted effects. In this deck, Helm goes a step further since it will never miss with its secondary effect.

IN: Fervor

Again, due to the lower curve, waiting around for In the Web of War is a losing proposition when turn 5 should be about tabling threats. Fervor is in a cheaper price bracket and will serve to do the trick just fine.

IN: Wheel of Fortune, Sylvan Library, Soul’s Majesty

Some of the card draw I alluded to earlier. Sylvan Library is still the benchmark in Commander; four damage is pretty easy to swallow to dig out of a cold deck, and a free Sensei’s Divining Top activation each turn seems pretty strong.

Soul’s Majesty is going to gain a ton of mileage with Kresh as the commander. It will also cause you to deck yourself in the above example using Thromok, Kresh, and Doubling Season. Proceed at your own risk.

Finally, Wheel effects are the old standard for cheap hand refilling. And while I don’t necessarily advocate popping one off to gain an advantage on turn 3 over your undeveloped opponents, I do frequently hear as many complaints as happy exclamations when one resolves.

IN: Deadbridge Chant, Time of Need

Deadbridge Chant is a new option that I’m trying to get a good feel for. In some decks, it can be downright magical (Hello, Karador!), but even here it ends up being a solid hand and board fixer. At worst, you get a random Regrowth; at best, you chain reanimation effects every turn.

(Okay, actually at worse someone immediately blows it up, meaning you just spent six mana to Glimpse the Unthinkable yourself. Awkward.)

Time of Need should go without saying. Seriously, is there a single person out there that needs an explanation on this card for this deck? Anyone?

IN: Cauldron Dance

My all-time favorite Commander card and one-time Commander Card of the Week in the Select newsletter. With the blend of effects (reanimation, Sneak Attack mechanic, haste, etc.), Cauldron Dance is an absolute blowout when played correctly. I can honestly say that I’ve made decks in the past simply to make sure that I have a color identity that can fit this in. I’d do it again, too. (Hi there, Tsabo!)

IN: Pain Magnification, Natural Balance, Teferi’s Puzzle Box

This suite is the disruption package.

This deck will likely be doing more than three damage at any time it wants to, so Pain Magnification fits right in. This is another part of the hand disruption package I spoke to earlier.

Natural Balance is the premier way to combat ramp strategies without being a fun-wrecker for the table with an Armageddon. Again, with the aggressive mana curve this deck sports, Natural Balance likely won’t even scratch the paint while putting a good damper on the guy who just resolved Boundless Realms.

Finally, Teferi’s Puzzle Box is one of the best ways to combat people who try to sandbag threats and answers. Forcing a hand is not always a bad thing; this build doesn’t particularly care what ends up in its hands as long as something does. In the meantime, the hand disruption when pushed on someone not prepared for it is very substantial. I give it the seal of approval, as players aren’t forced to discard everything outright as part of the effect.

IN: Wild Pair

Rounding out the list is a final (last but not nearly least!) all-in-one advantage engine. Paying retail cost for one creature is typical good value if you know what you’re getting; with Wild Pair, you’re doubling up on everything, meshing a tutor with acceleration in the process. This card will likely not make it all the way around the table, nor should it.

The Lands

Not too many surprises here.

IN: Okina, Temple to the Grandfathers; Shizo, Death’s Storehouse; Shinka, the Bloodsoaked Keep

Nothing particularly strong here. The important takeaway is that three colored mana-producing lands are here to help, and they have brought some solid ways to improve on Kresh or make it very hard for him to block.

IN: Skarrg, the Rage Pits, Kessig Wolf Run

Following suit, these two lands are present to make very sure Kresh is steaming ahead at full speed and trampling over anything in his path.

IN: Miren, the Moaning Well, High Market

Gold standards for land-based sacrifice outlets. The former can gain you a ton of life, and the latter can protect your investment for no cost to the owner.

IN: Kher Keep

The red Kor Haven, due to endless chump blockers. Also, Kresh is happy to see more tokens come and go, so this is welcome in a big way.

IN: Hall of the Bandit Lord

There’s that “haste” word again.

IN: Yavimaya Hollow, Volrath’s Stronghold

Viewed together in the same category due to similar game plans. Yavimaya Hollow keeps animals safe from harm and protects them in battle with the regeneration ability; Volrath’s Stronghold just waits for the dust to settle and then moves in to take care of things that didn’t quite survive the battle to give them a second lease on life.

IN: Bojuka Bog

Some plain old graveyard hate. Hopefully, this will come into play immediately following the arrival of Kagemaro. Fingers are crossed.

IN: Winding Canyons

The land equivalent of Yeva, which I discussed above. I know it is overplayed and overhyped, but the reason is that it really is that good. Sean loves this card, and the dirty little secret is that I do as well. There’s no downside to having instant speed access to your stable—none at all.

IN: Bloodstained Mire, Wooded Foothills, Verdant Catacombs, Badlands, Taiga, Bayou, Blood Crypt, Stomping Ground, Overgrown Tomb

The standard mana fixing suite combination of fetch/shock/dual for each color. Plain and simple.

IN: 6 Forest, 5 Mountain, 5 Swamp

And with that, we’re done.

The Full List

Here’s what we ended up with:

Sure, it’s a little heavy on the “good stuff,” or at least more than I usually go for, but in this case I’m a little more willing to give the deck the royal treatment. It’s not every day that we celebrate an important milestone like this, and I want to finish the first 99 episodes with a thematic and interesting Kresh deck that is playable to boot.

It might not be the thing on the front of your mind while you’re playing games, but I’m pretty proud of the design angle Patrick and I took on this one. I’ve built around a lot of things in my day, but I can honestly say I never have built to a flavor text.

If you’re interested in putting the deck together, here’s what it’ll cost on a card-by-card basis:

There it is, folks: The 99th Problem!

Before I go, I just want to wish a happy birthday to Dear Azami. Thanks again to Sean and Lauren Lee for bringing me on to begin with and Cedric Phillips and StarCityGames.com for keeping me around. Here’s hoping I’m still here when we get to 199 problems.

See you in two,

-Cass

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 Kristjan’s Scion of the Ur-Dragon deck or Matt’s Tesya, Orzhov Scion 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 the 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!