The Kitchen Table: All Five Gods

I must admit that I have a real treat for you today. Over the past week, I wrote up a Commander deck for you for each of the Journey into Nyx Gods. Now, I
could just take each one, add 1,000 words to it analyzing the deck and why I chose the cards I did, toss in an intro and a conclusion, and be done. I’d
have my next five articles completed, and I could just relax and not do any work at all.

But I don’t want to do that. First of all, that’s not really who I am as a person. I love writing these articles. I don’t look for ways to “get away” with
writing fewer things. Second, why wait? The set was just released, so let’s give you my version of all five decks today. As you begin to build your own,
I’m sure you are looking at other articles. I hope you’ll unearth a few new ideas from today’s column.

So, instead of the normal discussion about the detailed cards, I’ll just give you a brief summary of what I was trying to do, and then move on to the next
deck. Without further ado, let’s look at the five decklists from all five Journey into Nyx Gods Commandered up and ready to rock.

Pharika, God of Affliction

From Affliction to Restoration

Abe Sargent

Test deck on 11-30--0001

Commander

Creatures (32)

• 1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
• 1 Solemn Simulacrum
• 1 Verduran Enchantress
• 1 Nekrataal
• 1 Argothian Enchantress
• 1 Visara the Dreadful
• 1 Doomed Necromancer
• 1 Phyrexian Plaguelord
• 1 Yavimaya Enchantress
• 1 Stronghold Assassin
• 1 Deranged Hermit
• 1 Dowsing Shaman
• 1 Nullmage Shepherd
• 1 Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder
• 1 Essence Warden
• 1 Creakwood Liege
• 1 Acidic Slime
• 1 Nylea, God of the Hunt
• 1 Erebos, God of the Dead
• 1 Boon Satyr
• 1 Hythonia the Cruel
• 1 Pharika's Mender
• 1 Archetype of Endurance
• 1 Courser of Kruphix
• 1 Satyr Wayfinder
• 1 Eidolon of Blossoms
• 1 Doomwake Giant
• 1 Pharika, God of Affliction
• 1 Nyx Weaver
• 1 Dreadbringer Lampads
• 1 Grim Guardian
• 1 Thoughtrender Lamia

Planeswalkers (2)

• 1 Liliana Vess
• 1 Vraska the Unseen

Lands (24)

• 13 Swamp
• 1 Golgari Rot Farm
• 1 Overgrown Tomb
• 1 Terramorphic Expanse
• 1 Gilt-Leaf Palace
• 1 Bojuka Bog
• 1 Khalni Garden
• 1 Evolving Wilds
• 1 Woodland Cemetery
• 1 Golgari Guildgate
• 1 Opal Palace
• 1 Temple of Malady

Spells (42)

• 1 Spidersilk Armor
• 13 Forest
• 1 Sylvan Library
• 1 Sol Ring
• 1 Darksteel Ingot
• 1 Kodama's Reach
• 1 Plague Wind
• 1 Enchantress's Presence
• 1 Skullclamp
• 1 No Mercy
• 1 Oblivion Stone
• 1 Lightning Greaves
• 1 Phyrexian Arena
• 1 Attrition
• 1 Doubling Season
• 1 Putrefy
• 1 Damnation
• 1 Armillary Sphere
• 1 Maelstrom Pulse
• 1 Beastmaster Ascension
• 1 Eldrazi Monument
• 1 Cultivate
• 1 Leyline of Vitality
• 1 Command Tower
• 1 Parallel Lives
• 1 Crypt Incursion
• 1 Oath of the Ancient Wood
• 1 Bow of Nylea
• 1 Whip of Erebos
• 1 Kruphix's Insight

Since Pharika makes enchantment creatures, I figured I would push this into a constellation and enchantment theme. It runs fun engines like Eidolon of
Blossoms and Doomwake Giant. From enchantment-loving cards (Enchantresses-a -plenty) to some of the best enchantments in Commander (Phyrexian Arena, Sylvan
Library, No Mercy) we have a lot of fun cards. We also have some tech for the snakes. Deathtouch keeps things away, so look for Spidersilk Armor to let
them block flyers. The result is a fun version of Pharika that can do quite well for itself.

Kruphix, God of Horizons

The Horizon of Love

Abe Sargent

Test deck on 11-30--0001

Commander

Creatures (27)

• 1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
• 1 Patron of the Moon
• 1 Darksteel Colossus
• 1 Solemn Simulacrum
• 1 Krosan Tusker
• 1 Eternal Witness
• 1 Mystic Snake
• 1 Simic Sky Swallower
• 1 Draining Whelk
• 1 Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
• 1 Aeon Chronicler
• 1 Mulldrifter
• 1 Woodfall Primus
• 1 Inkwell Leviathan
• 1 Acidic Slime
• 1 Oracle of Mul Daya
• 1 Avenger of Zendikar
• 1 Artisan of Kozilek
• 1 Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre
• 1 Psychosis Crawler
• 1 Craterhoof Behemoth
• 1 Sylvan Caryatid
• 1 Arbor Colossus
• 1 Prophet of Kruphix
• 1 Courser of Kruphix
• 1 Satyr Wayfinder
• 1 Kruphix, God of Horizons

Planeswalkers (3)

• 1 Garruk, Primal Hunter
• 1 Jace, Architect of Thought
• 1 Kiora, the Crashing Wave

Lands (13)

• 1 Temple of the False God
• 1 Breeding Pool
• 1 Simic Growth Chamber
• 1 Terramorphic Expanse
• 1 Reliquary Tower
• 1 Misty Rainforest
• 1 Halimar Depths
• 1 Khalni Garden
• 1 Evolving Wilds
• 1 Hinterland Harbor
• 1 Alchemist's Refuge
• 1 Temple of Mystery
• 1 Opal Palace

Spells (57)

• 1 Stroke of Genius
• 14 Forest
• 1 Pattern of Rebirth
• 1 Quicksilver Amulet
• 1 Tooth and Nail
• 1 Sol Ring
• 12 Island
• 1 Whispers of the Muse
• 1 Darksteel Ingot
• 1 Kodama's Reach
• 1 Lightning Greaves
• 1 Vedalken Orrery
• 1 Gaea's Touch
• 1 Defense of the Heart
• 1 Greater Good
• 1 Fact or Fiction
• 1 Seek the Horizon
• 1 Voidslime
• 1 Krosan Grip
• 1 Scattering Stroke
• 1 Everflowing Chalice
• 1 Dreamstone Hedron
• 1 Recurring Insight
• 1 Cultivate
• 1 Blue Sun's Zenith
• 1 Command Tower
• 1 Swiftfoot Boots
• 1 Chromatic Lantern
• 1 Mystic Genesis
• 1 Plasm Capture
• 1 Peregrination
• 1 Chariot of Victory
• 1 Consign to Dust

This interpretation of Kruphix focuses on some mana acceleration and some mass card drawing. If you have lots of mana, then you can better harness
Kruphix’s ability to keep your mana around. You can also prepare for big card drawing X-spells that will work with Kruphix’s Spellbook ability. Then you
can drop even more lands and get even bigger and bigger. Whether it’s dropping a big beater, a big spell, or using subtle cards like Patron of the Moon and
all-stars like Oracle of Mul Daya, this deck has a lot of fun tricks to unveil.

Keranos, God of Storms

From Lightning with Love

Abe Sargent

Test deck on 11-30--0001

Commander

Creatures (32)

• 1 Tomorrow, Azami's Familiar
• 1 Sindbad
• 1 Keiga, the Tide Star
• 1 Riptide Shapeshifter
• 1 Aerial Caravan
• 1 Draco
• 1 Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind
• 1 Bogardan Hellkite
• 1 Cryptic Annelid
• 1 Magus of the Future
• 1 Spellbound Dragon
• 1 Djinn of Wishes
• 1 Sphinx of Jwar Isle
• 1 Artisan of Kozilek
• 1 Kozilek, Butcher of Truth
• 1 Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre
• 1 Steel Hellkite
• 1 Galvanoth
• 1 Sphinx of Uthuun
• 1 Niv-Mizzet, Dracogenius
• 1 Melek, Izzet Paragon
• 1 Thassa, God of the Sea
• 1 Omenspeaker
• 1 Flamespeaker Adept
• 1 Prognostic Sphinx
• 1 Prescient Chimera
• 1 Arbiter of the Ideal
• 1 Stormcaller of Keranos
• 1 Sigiled Starfish
• 1 Keranos, God of Storms
• 1 Prophetic Flamespeaker
• 1 Stormchaser Chimera

Lands (16)

• 1 Temple of the False God
• 1 Shivan Reef
• 1 Izzet Boilerworks
• 1 Steam Vents
• 1 Terramorphic Expanse
• 1 Cascade Bluffs
• 1 Reliquary Tower
• 1 Rupture Spire
• 1 Scalding Tarn
• 1 Halimar Depths
• 1 Evolving Wilds
• 1 Sulfur Falls
• 1 Desolate Lighthouse
• 1 Transguild Promenade
• 1 Izzet Guildgate
• 1 Opal Palace

Spells (52)

• 1 Sensei's Divining Top
• 1 Brainstorm
• 1 Soothsaying
• 1 Dissipate
• 1 Scroll Rack
• 1 Sol Ring
• 11 Mountain
• 11 Island
• 1 Fissure
• 1 Future Sight
• 1 Magma Jet
• 1 Desertion
• 1 Lightning Greaves
• 1 Gilded Lotus
• 1 Eyes of the Watcher
• 1 Proteus Staff
• 1 Long-Term Plans
• 1 Discombobulate
• 1 Spelljack
• 1 Mystic Speculation
• 1 Armillary Sphere
• 1 Everflowing Chalice
• 1 Crystal Ball
• 1 Sword of Vengeance
• 1 Command Tower
• 1 Druidic Satchel
• 1 Heretic's Punishment
• 1 Vandalblast
• 1 Dissolve
• 1 Oracle's Insight
• 1 Interpret the Signs
• 1 Knowledge and Power

In this deck, I am using several fun tricks in the Izzet colors to break things open. One such trick is to have a lot of ways of seeing the top card of my
deck so I know what I’ll get with Keranos. From Halimar Depths and Crystal Ball to Scroll Rack and Soothsaying, there are a lot of fun ways out there to
set up my Keranos flip in order to get what I want (the Bolt or the card). I pushed the scry theme massively in order to have a reliable way of finding the
good stuff and get the most use out of Keranos (I even tossed in scry trigger stuff). Finally, since my deck already had a bunch of these ways to work with
Keranos to stack the library, I figured that I could push that. So you can see stuff in here like Galvanoth, Future Sight, Melek, and more that work better
when you can stack your deck. Take a look at cards like Heretic’s Punishment in a deck like this one.

Iroas, God of Victory

An Ode to War

Abe Sargent

Test deck on 11-30--0001

Commander

Creatures (28)

• 1 Kongming, "Sleeping Dragon"
• 1 Anger
• 1 Siege-Gang Commander
• 1 Agrus Kos, Wojek Veteran
• 1 Twilight Drover
• 1 Cloudgoat Ranger
• 1 Balefire Liege
• 1 Figure of Destiny
• 1 Nobilis of War
• 1 Emeria Angel
• 1 Dragonmaster Outcast
• 1 Serra Ascendant
• 1 Hero of Bladehold
• 1 Chancellor of the Forge
• 1 Urabrask the Hidden
• 1 Gisela, Blade of Goldnight
• 1 Beetleback Chief
• 1 Aurelia, the Warleader
• 1 Sunhome Guildmage
• 1 Legion Loyalist
• 1 Tajic, Blade of the Legion
• 1 Anax and Cymede
• 1 Heliod, God of the Sun
• 1 Purphoros, God of the Forge
• 1 Archetype of Courage
• 1 Brimaz, King of Oreskos
• 1 Archetype of Aggression
• 1 Iroas, God of Victory

Planeswalkers (4)

• 1 Ajani Vengeant
• 1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
• 1 Elspeth Tirel
• 1 Ajani, Caller of the Pride

Lands (12)

• 1 Kor Haven
• 1 Battlefield Forge
• 1 Boros Garrison
• 1 Sacred Foundry
• 1 Sunhome, Fortress of the Legion
• 1 Terramorphic Expanse
• 1 Arid Mesa
• 1 Evolving Wilds
• 1 Clifftop Retreat
• 1 Slayers' Stronghold
• 1 Boros Guildgate
• 1 Opal Palace

Spells (56)

• 14 Plains
• 1 Swords to Plowshares
• 1 Sol Ring
• 13 Mountain
• 1 Gratuitous Violence
• 1 Darksteel Ingot
• 1 Mobilization
• 1 Wing Shards
• 1 Decree of Justice
• 1 Skullclamp
• 1
• 1 Lightning Greaves
• 1 Mind Stone
• 1 Boros Signet
• 1 Sunforger
• 1 Coldsteel Heart
• 1 Wild Ricochet
• 1 Rise of the Hobgoblins
• 1 Martial Coup
• 1 Glory of Warfare
• 1 Into the Core
• 1 Chaos Warp
• 1 Command Tower
• 1 Entreat the Angels
• 1 Rootborn Defenses
• 1 Boros Charm
• 1 Assemble the Legion
• 1 Legion's Initiative
• 1 Gleam of Battle
• 1 Spear of Heliod
• 1 Dictate of Heliod

Since Iroas is a Goblin War Drums and Dolmen Gate in one card, it seems obvious that the best way to use him is to attack. A lot. With a lot of guys. So I
pushed a couple of things. First, I looked for ways to make more than one guy via token creatures. Classics like Siege-Gang Commander, Mobilization, Decree
of Justice, and Cloudgoat Ranger join newer entrants like Heliod, God of the Sun and Assemble the Legion. The next route I took was to enhance my guys. We
have a ton of options, from Spear of Heliod and Dictate of Heliod to things like Glory of Warfare and Balefire Liege. So this deck is actually the simplest
of the quintet to build. Just add in cheap beaters (Serra Ascendant, Figure of Destiny), enablers (Hero of Bladehold, Archetype of Aggression and Courage),
token makers (Chancellor of the Forge, Rise of the Hobgoblins) and then the utility stuff you need (mana, removal, etc) to round out the deck. That’s it,
all done.

Athreos, God of Passage

Passage to the Dawn

Abe Sargent

Test deck on 11-30--0001

Commander

Creatures (32)

• 1 Mother of Runes
• 1 Solemn Simulacrum
• 1 Intrepid Hero
• 1 Nekrataal
• 1 Hell's Caretaker
• 1 Cackling Fiend
• 1 Weathered Wayfarer
• 1 Bone Shredder
• 1 Stronghold Assassin
• 1 Karmic Guide
• 1 Angel of Despair
• 1 Adarkar Valkyrie
• 1 Necrotic Sliver
• 1 Aven Mindcensor
• 1 Galepowder Mage
• 1 Shriekmaw
• 1 Reveillark
• 1 Fleshbag Marauder
• 1 Kor Sanctifiers
• 1 Pilgrim's Eye
• 1 Pawn of Ulamog
• 1 Liliana's Specter
• 1 Sun Titan
• 1 Rune-Scarred Demon
• 1 Restoration Angel
• 1 Avacyn, Angel of Hope
• 1 Blood Artist
• 1 Disciple of Bolas
• 1 Sin Collector
• 1 Erebos, God of the Dead
• 1 Athreos, God of Passage
• 1 Aegis of the Gods

Planeswalkers (4)

• 1 Liliana Vess
• 1 Sorin Markov
• 1 Sorin, Lord of Innistrad
• 1 Elspeth, Sun's Champion

Lands (27)

• 1 Volrath's Stronghold
• 1 Kor Haven
• 11 Swamp
• 1 Polluted Mire
• 1 Drifting Meadow
• 1 Secluded Steppe
• 1 Barren Moor
• 1 Caves of Koilos
• 1 Godless Shrine
• 1 Orzhov Basilica
• 1 Terramorphic Expanse
• 1 Marsh Flats
• 1 Bojuka Bog
• 1 Evolving Wilds
• 1 Isolated Chapel
• 1 Vault of the Archangel
• 1 Opal Palace

Spells (37)

• 1 Chainer's Edict
• 12 Plains
• 1 Swords to Plowshares
• 1 Sol Ring
• 1 Demonic Tutor
• 1 Diabolic Tutor
• 1 Darksteel Ingot
• 1 Skullclamp
• 1 Lightning Greaves
• 1 Phyrexian Arena
• 1 Guardian Idol
• 1 Syphon Mind
• 1 Mind Stone
• 1 Vindicate
• 1 Return to Dust
• 1 Austere Command
• 1 Leyline of Sanctity
• 1 Nim Deathmantle
• 1 Command Tower
• 1 Martyr's Bond
• 1 Swiftfoot Boots
• 1 Witchbane Orb
• 1 Underworld Connections
• 1 Unexpectedly Absent
• 1 Godsend
• 1 Dictate of Erebos

Since Athreos only triggers when one of your dorks bites it, I wanted to make sure that my creatures died. I could build a deck around a bunch of sacrifice
triggers. Attrition, Krovikan Horror, Mind Slash, and Carnage Altar come to mind. I did like that, but I didn’t want this deck to feel overly much like the
Pharika deck, which incorporated sacrifice engines as a way to utilize the snake tokens she made. Instead, I built this deck around small, cheap creatures
with fun abilities that you can use over and over again with Athreos. Frankly, unless I think you are going to kill my guy, I’d rather give you back your
Nekrataal than pay three life. You can play politics with it (note that you choose the opponent who decides the ability-it’s “target opponent,” not “any
opponent may pay three life”). So Bob may agree to allow me to bring back that Nekrataal if I say I’ll kill Sharon’s dragon that’s been beating on him.
From Kor Sanctifiers and Solemn Simulacrum to Fleshbag Marauder and Bone Shredder, we have a lot of these fun guys. We also have ways to sweep bigger stuff
(Elspeth, Sun’s Champion, Austere Command, etc.) and help the smaller guys (Sun Titan, Reveillark, Nim Deathmantle, and such).

The Athreos deck is my favorite of the five, but each has something fun to offer. I hope that you found something here to spark your own deckbuilding itch.
Which God are you most excited to build around in Commander? Which of these decks did you like the best? What changes would you make?