Of the most popular new commanders from Modern Horizons 3 on EDHREC, Arna Kennerüd, Skycaptain comes in a pretty distant fourth place as of this writing. I think it’s quietly one of the coolest of the new legends for Commander!
The thematic breakdown of the decks on EDHREC show 208 Equipment decks, 104 Aura decks, twelve Knight decks, and seven +1/+1 counter decks. To my mind, there are better commander choices for an Equipment deck, an Aura deck, or a Knight deck. For Arna, instead of focusing hard on any one of those, I just want to lean into its trigger for modified creatures, which is quite good!
Mod Squad
First off, you can get the triggers right away when you cast Arna, provided you have at least one modified creature that can attack. Second, you get the trigger for each modified creature you have attacking, so it behooves you to cast some aggressive creatures early. Third, it happens on attacking rather than combat damage to an opponent, so the effect can help ensure your creatures can successfully attack. Last, the effect is actually wild. Not only do you get to double the number of each kind of counter on the modified attacker, you then get to copy each nontoken permanent that’s attached to it!
Now, most counters outside of +1/+1 counters don’t really do much if you double them—such as a flying counter, or a lifelink counter, and such. I would just focus on having a fair number of creatures that will be modified with +1/+1 counters. And I’d likely look for both Equipment cards and Aura cards that have nice abilities that trigger when they enter the battlefield, so when you make the copy, you’ll get the added effect. Equipment are particularly great for this, since you can later re-equip the copy to a different creature after combat.
Let’s dig in and see where we end up!
Modular Creatures
I’d be strongly tempted to run a bunch of the modular creatures since they are all naturally considered to be modified, and whenever one dies, it can transfer the counters to another artifact creature. You’d likely want to round out the list with more artifact creatures that can accept the modular counters, but that shouldn’t be a problem.
Other Creatures with +1/+1 Counters
Outside of the modular creatures, a bunch of other creatures in the Esper color combination either enter the battlefield with +1/+1 counters or add counters pretty easily. Kappa Cannoneer is awesome in a heavy artifact deck, and as an artifact creature, it’s fantastic to have alongside the modular creatures. Its improvise ability is incredible with Equipment cards, since it doesn’t matter if they are tapped or not, and if you are attacking with Arna on the battlefield, copying the Equipment will give it a +1/+1 counter and make it unblockable until the end of turn. Thankfully, the card has had reprints in Murders at Karlov Manor Commander and in Modern Horizons 3, so it’s much, much more affordable these days. Snag one if you need it!
Creatures That Add +1/+1 Counters
Again, if you’re heavy on the artifact creatures, Steel Overseer will be huge for growing your team and then doubling the counters with Arna. Luminarch Aspirant is an awesome way to add a counter to any creature on your turn. Filigree Vector is a nifty card that I completely missed from March of the Machine Commander, and it seems perfect here: when it enters, you get to add a +1/+1 counter to any number of target creatures, and then it provides a sacrifice outlet – which is nice with the modular creatures and Syr Ginger, the Meal Ender.
Outlast
Some of the outlast creatures from Khans of Tarkir are strong candidates to round out the deck. Not only can they tap to add counters to themselves, many of them give all of your creatures with +1/+1 counters a relevant ability. Abzan Falconer gives them flying, and Abzan Battle Priest gives them lifelink. Ainok Bond-Kin and Mer-Ek Nightblade give your creatures with +1/+1 counters on them the powerful one-two punch of first strike and deathtouch. Herald of Anafenza doesn’t give your team anything special, but it could be nice to churn out extra token creatures.
Equipment With Enters Triggers
There are many awesome Equipment cards that you might want to play that would be awesome to copy, but for this list, I was looking specifically for ones that have a trigger when they enter. Cryptic Coat struck me as a nifty inclusion. When it enters, you cloak the top card of your library and attach Cryptic Coat to it; when it attacks, it can’t be blocked, and if Arna copies it, you’ll cloak another creature, but I think the Cryptic Coat copy will end up attached to the original cloaked creature. But then you can return the original Cryptic Coat to your hand and recast it.
Making a copy of Trailblazer’s Torch lets you take back initiative if you’ve lost it and makes the equipped creature really difficult to profitably block. Pre-War Formalwear has an incredible enters trigger that you definitely want to copy turn after turn, especially after a battlefield sweeper has trimmed away your attacking force.
Auras With Enters Triggers
Nerd Rage is obviously fantastic in an Enchantress deck where you can draw a ton of cards, but I’d like to give it a whirl here too! Copying it each turn can help keep your hand stocked with action, and you can certainly unlock the big boost by playing cards like Sphinx’s Revelation to draw a bunch more cards. Mantle of the Ancients is an incredible way to recover from a battlefield sweeper, and Sage’s Reverie can end up being a sweet card draw engine. Chains of Custody and Faith Unbroken provide some nice removal options that you can copy each turn.
Modified Matters
A handful of cards care about modified creatures, so I’d play a good number of them in this deck, starting with Towashi Guide-Bot, since it’s an artifact creature that can benefit from the modular creatures, and can turn into a nice draw engine once you’ve got a fair number of modified creatures. Walking Skyscraper is another artifact creature, it’s huge and can get a solid discount to its mana value in the mid-game, and since it has hexproof, it will make a great target for your Auras before you attack. I really like Guardian of the Forgotten since it provides some insurance against a battlefield sweeper, and Unforgiving One can bring back creatures from your graveyard.
Lifegain Matters
Arna has flying, lifelink, and a pretty good ward ability. I think we can reliably count on gaining four life each attack step, so playing some number of cards that take advantage of that might be a solid consideration. Archangel of Thune is fantastic, since it adds a +1/+1 counter to your team each time you gain life and makes them all modified. Heliod, Sun-Crowned works a touch more slowly, but as an indestructible enchantment, it’s a little less vulnerable to sweepers.
Sanguine Bond and Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose turn each lifegain trigger into a life drain for target opponent. Well of Lost Dreams and Dawn of Hope turn lifegain into card draw.
If you play in a higher-power pod, you’ll want Witch of the Moors, since that sacrifice ability will be brutal each turn.
Power Boost for Arna
To supplement our flying, lifelinking commander, I’d want ways to increase its power. Cranial Plating seems great for that, especially since making an extra copy each attack will be excellent. Then there’s Bloodforged Battle-Axe, which will also make copies on its own, assuming equipped creature deals combat damage. I don’t know that I’ve played Thran Power Suit in a Commander deck yet, but this seems like an excellent choice, since making copies of it really increases its power. And then of course there’s All That Glitters, that can end up boosting enchanted creature into a massive threat.
What other awesome cards would you consider adding to your Arna Kennerüd, Skycaptain deck? What other legendary creatures from Modern Horizons 3 have caught your eye?
Talk to Me
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And lastly, I just want to say: let us love each other and stay healthy and happy.
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