The Command Tower - Building Hanna

by Alex Gershaw

Hey.

Before I get started with my EDH/Commander (hereby referred to as EDmander) deck tech, I want to outline what my goals are and why I am doing this. I was inspired by a fellow planeswalker of mine, Andy Pemberton, who originally began posting EDmander articles on the Team Leeds blog before he got drafted by MTG:UK (check out his articles - they are all good). His style is to post about his commanders, do some set overviews and post about his EDmander experiences, I will not be stealing his thunder. Instead I will be taking suggestions of commanders and doing a deck tech for them. I hope you enjoy.

Hanna Ship's Navigator

A friend of mine once asked me to look over his Hanna deck a while back and I didn't manage to do a great job, possibly because I would have preferred to gut the deck and start again, this is what I have done this time around.

Observations first, this commander doesn't have haste, I don't mean in the conventional red creatures and some green or black creatures "This creature is unaffected by summoning sickness" kind of way. I mean in the "This creature works immediately, I don't have to pass a turn to use it" way (read that article, if you haven't before). Hanna requires you to either give it haste or pass the turn in order to use her and one set of turns is a very long time in EDmander. This fact alone makes Hanna a slightly harder commander to work with.

On the upside of observations, her ability is definitely a "build around me" ability and it has given me plenty of options when building the deck. The deck list (with notes) is as follows:

Cheap Artifact suite:

Aether Spellbomb - Bounce effects are often useful for indestructible or hard to deal with creatures, this seems like a good cheap re-usable toy for Hanna to play with.

Dispeller's Capsule - Cheap, easy to use, just what every dispeller needs.

Elixir of Immortality - A favorite card of the friend who wanted me to build this deck there will be many of these. Crafting an EDmander deck is a personal experience and the deck needs to be fun for everyone but especially the pilot. There are many of these in the deck.

Expedition Map - I won't go into great detail on the lands until later but needless to say this can fetch a multitude of great effects (except I did have to say it).
Everflowing Chalice - Solid ramp in slow ramp colours especially when after casting Hanna from the command zone once to get her effect, she loses value every time. This should help offset that in the late game while also being a useful early game ramp spell.
Sensei's Divining Top - Any deck with enough shuffle effects should pack a top, it's like drawing another three cards every time you shuffle.
Pithing Needle - Need to shut down a commander with a tap effect... look no further than the handy-dandy Pithing Needle, shuts down important combo pieces, no questions asked. No refunds if Mindslaved into injecting your own commander with the needle.
Sol Ring - Obviously
Tormod's Crypt - Because graveyards won't remove themselves, actually sometimes they do.
Wayfarer's Bauble - It's like ramp but colourless.

Other Ramp Artifacts:

Green is the best colour for ramp effects sadly since Hanna can't run any of them she has to stumble around looking for baubles, signets and talismans to get the job done.
Azorius Signet, Talisman of Progress, Armillary Sphere, Darksteel Ingot, Coalition Relic, Solemn Simulacrum and Coldsteel Heart.

Tutors:
EDmander is about inconsistency and some people find the use of tutor effects in this format a problem, I do not think this, I think you can use tutors to make different choices than you did in the last game thus making the overall experience different:
Tezz 1.0 - The -x ability can be used on 1 to get any of the cheap artifact suite (or even 0 to get the Crypt or artifact lands). Which brings me on to... Trinket Mage the EDmander blue workhorse, if I had an artifact for every time I resolved Trinket Mage, I would have used him correctly.
Enlightened Tutor, Mystical Tutor, Idyllic Tutor and Fabricate as ways of getting useful singletons from your library to your Brain pan scroll room (read hand). The only one of real interest is the Mystical Tutor as it doesn't seem to be doing anything so far, but you shall see, you'll all see.

Draw spells:
Rhystic Study Asymmetrical effects are generally considered a good thing, this three mana enchantment either slows opponents down or gives you a card, make sure you ask politely.
Let me give you the Opportunity to see a great instant speed draw spell, reload at the end of an opponents turn and have a full grip for your turn.
Fact or Fiction - Has netted me somewhere between 2-4 cards at instant speed in the past, never be surprised about how wrong opponents can get your piles since they don't know what you know.
I also can't recall how many times I have stroked myself... but enough about my personal life.
Future sight and Magus of the Future - What if I told you every land you played and every spell you cast came with an additional "Draw a card" clause... What? Wait... Five manas?
Pulse of the Grid - I find this card a draw spell to find draw spells, when it's my only option I probably only have 3-4 cards in hand while my opponents have 6, so I can use it twice at the end of an opponents turn and dig four cards for something better. This is a bit of a personal choice but ever since a friend started using Pulse of the Tangle I knew I wanted to run is one in a couple of my decks.
Courier's Capsule - Re-usable instant speed draw when using Hanna. It might not be great and the first thing I would put on the chopping block.

Counters:

So you happen to be playing Blue so you have all of these counterspells to choose from which do you pick:
Hinder and C-c-c-crumple are two counterspells that I personally dislike (not that I don't or haven't used them in the past) but they are very useful for getting rid of pesky commanders who just won't die. These were selected personally as cards wanted for this deck.
Some Mages won't take "no" for an answer, but now you can tell the repeatedly with Forbid.
Glen Elendra Archmage, Draining Whelk and Venser, Shaper Savant are all wonderful options for counterspells, Glenny with her re-use-ability, Whelk with "I'm also a beat stick" and Venser with his versatility, all personal favorites.
Time Stop - Exile the stack? End the turn? I use this and Riftsweeper in my Bant deck to hopefully one day stop two turns in a game as it exiles itself.
Decree of Silence - I have no idea why my playgroup doesn't run this apart from the "risk of hardcasting" it into a dull game. Cycle this for six mana and get a nigh on uncounterable counterspell and draw a card. (Note those are the only four effects in the game that I can think of that usefully stop triggered abilities aside from maybe Sundial but that card sucks anyway). Also for this deck in particular it is an enchantment so for three more mana Hanna can fetch it back.

Removal:
All decks need some form or removal usually in the form of wraths although spot removal is necessary too.
Wrath of God and Rout for creature clearing.
Austere Command and Oblivion Stone for a general destroy everything (or some of everything) kind of wrath.
Path to Exile, Swords to Plowshares and Soul Snare backing up your sweeps with some spot exile.
Aura of Silence and Seal of Cleansing which backs up the Dispeller's Capsule for more point artifact and enchantments hate. (Be aware that some of the above removal spells are either artifacts or enchantments and thus reusable with Hanna, time and time again).
Finally in this section Stonecloaker - Evacuate your MVP, or pay three to exile a card and bounce it to use again. Stonecloaker is an almost auto include for any deck I build carrying White.

Enablers:

Usually this section would be for any combo enablers I would have. I have neglected to give this deck a combo finish, it is more of an attrition style build and as such likes to grind down its opponents and beat them with fatties (in a later section). So in this section I have included cards which give Hanna haste and one which gives the deck a bit of a boost.
Lightning Greaves, Swiftfoot Boots and Strider Harness to grant Hanna actual haste, although if I was going to cut back here, I'd let go of the Harness as it doesn't protect your commander.
Thousand-Year Elixir - If your commander has a tap ability and does not have haste or enough of your creatures, this is an auto include.
Rings of Brighthearth - Since the deck is built upon activate abilities, you might want to use them again, copy them for two mana... Bargain.

Fatties:
These are just eight big Blue/White/Artifact Creatures I could find, Since this deck wants to exhaust the opponents and then win, it didn't really matter what I put in these slots. You get the added bonus of their effects, some are draw, removal or recurrsion but mostly they are here to bring the pain.
Sun Titan, Yosei, the Morning Star, Consecrated Sphinx, Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite, Deathless Angel, Wurmcoil Engine, Godhead of Awe and Rite of Replication (not technically a creature, but also technically five creatures).

Lands:

Due to budget considerations, I'm not going to tell you how to build the mana base, technically 18 Island and 18 Plains should do it. I wanted to inform you of the best lands in these colours (and colourless).
For this deck specifically: Ancient Den and Seat of the Synod due to Tezzeret's -x ability.
Generally: Kor Haven, Reliquary Tower, Tolaria West, Winding Canyons, Prahv, Spires of Order, Terrain Generator.

If budget wasn't an option I'd cut the two cards I mentioned earlier (Courier's Capsule and Strider Harness) for Land Tax and Scroll Rack. I would also suggest a whole swath of lands you could use ranging from Tundra to Mystic Gate to Glacial Fortress.

If anyone has any suggestions for Commanders you want me to build around, tell me the general, how competitive your play group is (from casual to competitive on a 1-10 scale) and how involved you wish the deck to be (from easy and fun to challenging and involved on a 1-10 scale). Please do not suggest either Hakkon or Phage as all you will get is a Mono-Black Control deck with no care about the commander.

Thanks for reading.
Alex

Team Leeds Drafting #1 - M12 with Rob Catton

By Rob Catton

In a new series for the Team Leeds Blog™, Rob Catton will be presenting some of his online drafts which he will record for our viewing pleasure. To get things going we have a triple M12 draft - a format quickly going out of style but a good format which can teach us much about tempo. Please leave any feedback in the comments below - where would you have done things differently?

The Draft (note that if the video quality is not high enough for you then try maximising the screen, or buying Team Leeds a massive computer):

Round 1:

Round 2:

University Prerelease Report - Innistrad

By Wagz

Hello and welcome! One thing we've done here before is live coverage of our pre-releases. While not possible this time around I did manage to take some notes while I was there, so I can bring some posthumous coverage - here goes!

We managed to get a whopping 50 players at the event for Innistrad Sealed deck and managed an 8-man draft along the way. Some familiar faces came back, along with many new ones, and even some very old ones. We managed to begin our coverage with a feature match in round 2:

Round 2: Steve Parker vs Andy Pemberton

For game 1, both players decided to send back their opening hands and after a pair of lands apiece, Silverchase Fox on the draw began the board development by Steve. Crossway Vampire from Andy presented a potential blocker, but Steve fearlessly sends his pet, and backs it up with a Voiceless Spirit. Attempting to break the tempo of the attacks, Andy makes and equips a Blazing Torch, but once more Steve doesn't care for it and attacks to take Andy to 14.

A Galvanic Juggernaut for Steve presents Andy with quite a conundrum. Andy passes without a play once more, and Steve attacks before reinforcing his army with an Abbey Griffin. Andy attempts a comeback with a 3/3 flier for 5 mana, but a Fiend Hunter takes it out of the game and Steve is able to press even more damage through. Andy is unable to bring enough defences out to stay alive, and concedes the game - Steve 1, Andy 0.

Both players topped off at 5 lands of two types in game 1 - were their decks hiding any bombs? Steve's turn 1 Traveller's Amulet for a Forest in his previously- White/Red deck would indicate that something should come along soon. Andy makes the first creature with a Kessig Wolf, a 3/1 for 3 mana which can gain first strike - quite a difficult card to play against perhaps. Steve looks visibly annoyed at himself as he untaps, but makes a Voiceless Spirit to block. The Spirit is Exorcised, allowing for an attack for 3 damage, and after another attack into Steve's Abbey Griffin, Andy makes the Innistrad answer to Siege Mastodon.

Steve lays a Kessig Wolf Run, answering the question of what the green mana was for, and starts to clog up the ground with a Pitchborn Devils. The 5 mana creatures trade in combat, taking Steve to 11 life. Finally making the card he'd missed out on turn 2, Steve offs the 3/1 Wolf with a Geistflame, flashing it back to kill a Village Ironsmith. Both players make a few more creatures, but the Wolf Run means that Steve is able to push through lethal damage, taking the match.

Steve 2 - 0 Andy

During round 3 I was busy setting a side draft going, but I managed to note a few interesting sights around the pre-release:

• Johannes Ihli curved out with turns 2-5 Werewolves in draft but due to casting spells each turn doesn't transform them for too long - not as aggressive as desired.
• Craig Stevenson makes a turn 2 Mayor of Averbrook in both games of his match, that'll sting in the morning.
• Kenny Hall made a Grimoire of the Dead, discarded 3 creatures to it and took 7 total back onto the battlefield at once.
• Old-school pro Gordon Benson was seen bothering the top tables - does this herald a return to Magic?

Round 5's Feature Match was:

Round 5: Rob Catton vs Steve Tyson

On the play, Steve mulligans once and makes audible concerns about the hand he does keep. He has three different basic lands on turn 3, and makes the first play of the game with a Screeching Bat. Rob matches it with a Thraben Sentry, but it can only dream of attaining the 5/5 size of the Vampire on the flip-side. A Bonds of Faith deals with the Vampiric entity, and the game notably slows down as Rob summons a Skirsdag High Priest, promising to itself summon some 5/5 fliers.

Scourge of Geier Reach attempts to clog up the ground of the battlefield for Steve, and his Rolling Temblor as an attempted Plague Wind is thwarted by Rob's own small burn spell. An Angelic Overseer from Rob is rolled out to try to break the deadlock, but it is forced to Fight the Pacified Vampire. Another attempt to get things rolling is also nullified, and Steve is makin' Morbid Bacon to fill the gap. It finds itself Rebuked on its attack, and Rob is the first to draw more creatures - killing his own Pitchborn Devils with a Harvest Pyre to deal the last few points of damage.

On the draw for game 2, Rob makes the first play with a Rakish Heir. A Tribute to Hunger allows the vampire to get in Steve's hair, but a Bloodgift Demon threatens to single-handedly take over the game. Rob attacks and Steve blocks with his Demon, Rob using two different cards to save his own creature and kill his opponent's, losing out on cards but ensuring he wouldn't quickly lose the game. The Rakish Heir is dealt with, and the players resort to draw-go for a few turns, with a 5/4 trampler staring down a 1/1 deathtouch.

An Angelic Overseer is shot down by a Geistcatcher's Rig, and a first attempt to Geistflame the deathtoucher is thwarted by a Spidery Grasp. It is removed on the flashback, and Steve is forced to use 2 Rolling Temblor to not quickly lose any kind of race. A Gallows Warden is taken down via a Prey Upon, but a final Village Ironsmith is not met with an answer and Rob is able to attack in for lethal damage once and for all.

Rob 2 - 0 Steve

Round 6: Danny Whitaker vs Nathan Edwards

Two Leeds prerelease veterans face off in the finals, but neither one has ever won a feature match here - who will manage to end their streak today? A Deranged Hermit on turn 2 for Nathan on the play signals a ramped start. It only attacks for one on turn 3, but is soon stopped by a Chapel Geist. Milling an Unburial Rites while generating mana for an Angelic Overseer, Nathan threatens a very aggressive start to the game. Not to be outmatched, Danny summons the Angel's Evil Twin. Although Danny was yet to supplement his Angel with a Human, Nathan was unable to attack due to losing a racing position due to the Geist. Danny soon found a Human and a deadlock was reached - who would first be able to deal with their opponent's Humans and then Angel?

For many turns creatures were summoned and dealt with on both side of the battlefield, the action revolving around the two identical Angels in the centre. The mighty Grimgrin, Corpse-Born shows up to break the stalemate, but his Bloodline is Severed to keep the fight fair once more. Danny begins to gain an upper hand in terms of flying dominance, with some less-relevant 4/4 and 3/2 creatures which were building up to a lethal attack team. Nathan cannot find a second Island, presumably for some stockpiled spells, but also for the flashback on a milled Cackling Counterpart.

Danny finally draws enough removal spells for all the Humans, and aims a finishing blow at Nathan's Angel, but the Village Bell-Ringers ring in the town's defences to aid their champion. Taking the game another way, Danny is able to deal with Nathan's other flying creatures, and sends in his team for a large strike. A Murder of Crows finds its end, but 15 damage is inflicted to the defender. Another dies the next turn, and a brief flurry of spells seeks to save Nathan enough damage, to no avail. The players apologised for what looked like a boring match, but this writer saw nothing but a tense show-down the whole way through. Danny 1 - 0 Nathan.

The same, unfortunately, could not be said for the second game of the frame. Nathan's Deranged Assistant makes another turn 2 appearance, but Danny cuts off the Dead Weight. Nathan misses his third land for a ocuple of turns, and Grimgrin returns to take revenge for his quick death in the previous skirmish. Tearing through both armies alike, he inflicts cutting blows on Nathan, and a Stitched Drake called to Grimgrin's side is enough for Nathan who raises the white flag. We have our winner,

Danny 2 - 0 Nathan.

Thanks to all who attended the pre-release and making it yet another great day and tournament. I took notes on which archetypes were represented at the event and will be collating the data soon when I'm not so tired (I've judged 2 prereleases in the last 24 hours :s). See you at an events soon!

Team Leeds is Recruiting!

Hi all! Some of you may remember this Blog from before but most of you are unlikely to. Team Leeds is the competitive branch of Magic play in Leeds. We are aiming to play the best Magic we can, and win events.

Magic in Leeds has undergone a lot since I last posted here. I used to run a weekly event in the University, which is still going on Wednesdays, which was the only option for sanctioned Magic play at the time. Since then Travelling Man began running events, and a player at the Wednesday events (Mark Hammond, who now runs the Wednesday events) set up a branch of Patriot Games in Leeds.

It is really great to see so many players wanting to play Magic in Leeds, and having a place to play. However, what I really want to see is players looking to go that little bit further. I want to see players who wish to improve themselves, to try to win. This isn't in any way opposing having fun playing Magic, it's something additional.

If you feel like you want to stop slinging cardboard around a table and take an active part in just being better at the game we all enjoy, then come to the banner of Team Leeds. Anyone and everyone is welcome to add themselves to the Planeswalker Points table (link here, message me your name and DCI number), and anyone and everyone is welcome to write for this Blog. If you feel like you have anything to contribute then please ask - you will be printed! If you are scared that people will disagree with you, don't be. Discussion is how you improve as a player. Look through our archive for many instances of people lodging their opinions and being wrong (I've done it more than enough). We will try to stay up to date with all the local news and provide details of local and competitive events, but this blog is an open book for anyone wishing to improve. I hope to hear from you soon.

Wagz

The Ten Command-Ments: Mirrodin Besieged and what it means to you

by Andrew Pemberton



Greetings and salutations, my fellow Planeswalkers. I realise it's been way too long since we had an update, so why not go with what everyone else is doing: For those who read Channel Fireball or Star City Games, both LSV and Pat Chapin are in the middle of doing set reviews. Now, I'm not one to step on other people's work, so instead of focusing on constructed and limited applications, I will be talking today about what cards you should be looking out for to take your deck to the next level.

WHITE


Well, doesn't this kitty have claws! Relic-Warder is one of the cards that has been getting a lot of hype, particularly for the Eternal formats (Legacy and Vintage), in order to stop opposing AEther Vials and Counterbalances. However, we also get serious applications with this in Commander. Having an early answer for cards such as Luminarch Ascension can be a real boon, certainly in multiplayer, but also being able to remove more serious Enchantments and Artifacts later in the game means he never loses value. Of course, being a creature does hamper him slightly due to his inability to survive Wrath-style effects, but you do effectively shut down an effect for at least two turns, probably enough time to get around said threat another way. Of course, the major trick with this is one we can also use with Tidehollow Sculler: By stacking RW's Enters the Battlefield ability, then sacrificing him, say with a High Market, you get rid of the card PERMANENTLY. Definitely worth a look in for the predominantly white decks.


Now, I'm a sucker for a Wrath effect as much as the next guy, and believe me when I say this: There are better effects than this in the format. However, that's not to go against counting on this should you need to. This can certainly be a budget option should you need it, or just having the threat of having a creature when your opponents have nothing. Granted, it'd be pretty sick if you got a 6/6 or higher every time, and this does scale up quite nicely for multiplayer, but there will be times that you just need to get rid of a threat or two, and that's fine. Heck, you still get value out of your 2/2, I'm sure.


...and for those of you who liked the other side of Martial Coup, I present to you... the Itteh Bitteh Kitteh Committeh! For those of you using Raksha, Jareth or Kemba-based Cat Tribal, this is a fun option, but there's so many ways to abuse this card. At 4 or 5 mana, it functions as an instant speed fog effect, effectively nullifying your opponent's attacks for a turn if needed. At 6 Mana, you start getting value out of your spell in terms of Power:Mana Cost. At 7 or more, you start jumping the curve in terms of power. Token strategist such as Teysa, Orzhov Scion will love this card, as a means to activating abilities, or just swinging with a mass of furry feline fury! Oh yeah, one thing that's kinda crucial about this card? Yeah, it's an instant, meaning you can throw a furba- er, curve ball at your enemies by popping up with a ton of 2/2's at the end of your opponent's turn... and of course, letting you shuffle it back into your deck for even more value later on. All in all, a great card for White-loving Planeswalkers.

BLUE


I really feel the need to make a Mass Effect reference, but I think I'll hold back on this occasion. Yes, this is Stroke of Genius 2.0, but with two major changes. Obviously, the more restrictive mana cost makes this a wee bit harder to cast in multicolour decks, but it shouldn't pose a great deal of issues, especially if you're running as much mana fixing as you should be. The other great detail is, like all the Zeniths, the shuffle ability. Paying XUUU instead of X2U does seem a little awkward, but again, the incremental gain is there. For example, wasting a Stroke for X=2 is usually a little poor, but with the shuffle, using it with Blue Sun's Zenith takes that poor play away: Giving you the option of potentially casting it later makes this Zenith a lot more versatile than it's Urza's Block cousin. Of course, the real value of this card probably starts at around the 7 mana mark, but hey, if you've ramped up and need a refill, then by all means do so!


Just... Hnng! This card screams 'Abuse me!'. Blue doesn't need another useless flying body, but that's not what we're interested in: Drawing two cards off of an opponent's draw step is pretty sweet, but this card just keeps on giving: Cycling, Skullclamp triggers, etc... every use gives you at least two cards back if you want them. Of course, the 'may' clause is ever-present in the text, so once you have attained the desired value, feel free to take your turn, use some cards, then let him refill your hand all over again. In a game at Sunday's pre-release, I managed to Bribery one out of a friend's deck, and managed to draw at least 10 cards before it was dealt with. Even the body can be relevant, blocking most flying threats


Now, I've not always been the biggest fan of Clone-style effects, but this one... I quite enjoy. You can't argue with Rite of Replication and Spitting Image in terms of power and utility, but this is a pretty cheap way of knocking out someones General. Even if not, copying something for value can be perfectly fine if your opponent has something worth copying. Heck, you can even copy your own creatures, so if you want double Blightsteel Colossus, here's another way to achieve it, I guess.


Thar she blows! Now this one is interesting. I see this as a blue Relic Crush, without the drawback of only targeting artifacts. Sure, it's only a bounce effect, but tagging two permanents at once gets you solid tempo gain in most cases, and it can even kill off your opponent's plans, for example, by bouncing a Mimic Vat in response to its own trigger. Heck, you can even just fog a little with it if you like. Nice applications, definitely one worth trying, whether budget-inclined or not.


Yep, that's a tutor all right. For those with Artifact-based strategies (I'm looking at you, Sharuum the Hegemon!), this card basically says 'Search your library for target bomb'. Whether its Mindslaver, Darksteel Forge, or Steel Hellkite, this ensures you get what you need, and unlike Trinket Mage in this format, it seems to get a lot more: Having that '1 or less' restriction lifted seems so much better for this format. It's all about the fatties, and this guy might just replace Trinket Mage in some cases, if not doing the inevitable of complimenting him.

BLACK


Yep, that's another Zenith. This time, it's Black rocking the field with a reusable Wrath effect. This has already received widespread acclaim for its possibilities in Standard, but those possibilities also exist in Commander. Shrinking an army for cheap, or killing them for a little more, Black Sun's Zenith gives Black builds another Wrath to compliment Damnation and Mutilate. I'm glad to see that Wizards has posted a cycle with such broad applications, and it certainly speaks well for the future of Commander.


Wraths are usually better in Commander, but hey, this is one of the best pieces of spot removal I've seen in a while. Destroying everything that isn't an Artifact is pretty sick, especially if it's a threat you need rid of. Heck, if you're using a multicolour deck anyway, chances are you have separate Artifact removal anyway, unless you're in Blue. Two mana to sink a dude is good value, and with its widespread amount of targets, there will always be something to shoot.


Definitely another weenie killer, but one with benefits! Sure, the only things this thing will be likely shrinking are going to be Sakura-Tribe Elder, Eternal Witness and Solemn Simulacrum, but hey, if they want to pay 2 life to draw a card, or get a land, seems fine to me. Putting that extra cost on creatures makes it harder to make effective blocking decisions, as well as when to use those sacrificial effects. Not to mention, he fits Commander's remit of being big and beefy. A solid hit in my books, not only for the mini-wrath, but also for the life-taking effect.

RED


More efficient spot removal. Not hitting creatures sucks a little, and Shatter might be a better option for your mana, but being able to destroy their Sol Ring or Mana Vault on turn 1 completely nullifies the tempo swing they would otherwise gain.


It looks more like some giant beetle thing than a Beast, but I guess Insect doesn't cut it for something that big either... Anyway, here we welcome one of my top Commander cards from the set. For those who are used to playing with Future Sight, this is kinda similar. In mono Red, you have limited options aside from burn, but in multicolour, you open the door to plenty of things... Ramp spells in Green, Draw in Blue, or removal in White. The day you get a Time Stretch off of this, however, is the day you'll forever be targeted in your Commander games, so be careful. Free stuff is always good stuff in EDH, and there's certainly worse things you can play for 5 mana.


Sure, Shatterstorm destroys every artifact for the same cost, but where's the fun in that? Exiling is such a powerful effect, and paying 4 to exile two of your opponent's artifacts is fair game, really. Having to have two targets is a little bit lame in single player, but multiplayer is where this guy really shines. You can screw one guy off of his combo, or be political and take one each from two guys. Either way, a good solid utility card to fill out your decks with.

GREEN


Speaking of Shatterstorm, here's the Green variant we just got. Green could use a couple more wrath effects, even if they only serve the purpose of killing Artifacts and Enchantments. I'm a little iffy about this, as I'm not sure how good it is at the moment, but of course, it scales up the more artifacts your opponents have. I'd probably compliment this with All is Dust, just to be able to hit everything on the board over a couple of turns.


See that? Now THAT'S a Tutor! For one mana extra, you can find a creature in your library, and slap it right down onto the Battlefield. Sure, it has the same Primal Order-style drawback of needing to be a Green creature, but who cares? Slapping down Primeval Titans and Woodfall Primus' is so good. Not to mention, Gold cards with Green in their mana cost are fair game too, so if you want to pay out 6 Mana for your favourite WUBRG card, go ahead! Plus, like all the other Zeniths, that huffle ability comes in handly. Note that the power of the card only scales up if you have the creatures to make use of it, so make sure to build your decks properly!


For all those Phyrexians who wished Yawgmoth would whisper sweet nothings into your ear, now's your chance. This is certainly a Commander card, no buts about it. Steroid-infused Regrowth effects are always good - It's why they exile themselves after their use. Can you imagine a loop of Restock and this if they didn't Exile themselves? Crazy. Anyway, giving your spells another go around the table is nothing to scoff at, especially if you want another shot at casting your Time Stretch and Rite of Replication. The Reliquary Tower-style is an expected, but nonetheless crucial bonus, preventing you from losing the cards you just got back. Better yet, you can't lose your hand to a Strip Mine, unlike with Reliquary Tower. Solid, amazing, and every Green deck should pack one.


Sac Elder number two? I'm not sure if this is as useful as I think it is yet, but it's certainly worth a shot. Trading an extra point of power for not being able to sac it off manually is kinda iffy, but if you're packing Sacrificial effects such as High Market anyway, you can still claim the benefits from it, not to mention the ever-presence of Wraths in the set. Guys that replace themselves are always worth looking at, and the ramp can sometimes help. Definitely worth a look at, especially in decks such as Savra, Queen of the Golgari, where the sacrifices are used to your benefit.

GOLD


A creature that kills any other creature in combat? Where do I sign! First Strike and Deathtouch are such good abilities, that when put together, give you pretty much the perfect package to deal with blocking creatures, sans the obvious Indestructible and Protection creatures. However, what is truly interesting is the second ability: getting back your used Artifacts is a sure-fire bet that you're gaining back value. Having Glissa out with an Executioner's Capsule basically means you can kill anything your opponent has, and just recur the Capsule straight away. A candidate for a Commander in her own right, or a solid addition to any BG strategy.

ARTIFACT


May as well start this section with the one card I expect to cause the most controversy. An old favourite turned compleat, Blightsteel Colossus has the capacity to kill any opponent in one shot. Now, we all know what happened to Emrakul, with the Ban-hammer floating over his head for the longest time before he eventually got taken away. I'm not so sure that this particular Colossus will stick around for too long. I mean, think about it: Rite of Replication means you WILL kill at least two or three players in one attack step, and even shenanigans like Tooth and Nail fetching this and Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker can end games quickly. I'm glad both Red and White have ways to deal with this menace, and even Black can deal with it to an extent, but the fact that you need to do it in one turn is useless if you don't have the right cards at the right time.

Thinking of this guy from a community standpoint as well: Sure, he doesn't grant the extra turn that Emrakul provided, but he essentially will end the game in his next turn unless dealt with. You then have the problem of being political about who you swing at. There will always be a player that feels that he has been picked on, and I've seen groups almost lose players due to pressing home their advantage against one player in particular. Guys, I'm not sure the loss in players is worth the advantage you get out of this, so think carefully when deciding whether to pack this into your deck or not.

Players, pack your Path to Exile and other exile effects now, because you don't want to be caught with your pants down against this guy, especially if he's spreading an infection :p.


...and from one innuendo to another, here we have the Bonehoard! Now, I wasn't a huge fan of Living Weapon at the Pre-Release, but this guy seems pretty solid to me. He feels a little like an Empyrial Plate for your graveyard, giving you a boost based on how many Wraths your fellow players have used. I wouldn't be surprised at seeing this on a Voltron-style Commander in order to help deal 21 General damage, or even just augmenting an equipment strategy. Either way, you get a potentially monstrous creature for just 4 mana, and can make another creature into a monster for just 2 mana. A solid playable in any Equipment-based strategy.


...and speaking of Equipment-based strategies, check out this wicked set of armor. Probably a throwback to Shield of Kaldra way back in Darksteel, this offers the same abilities for 3 mana less overall. The ability to protect your General is pretty sweet, though you do lose out on being able to get that sweet Kaldra token :(. Joking aside, another very solid equipment that should see play in Commander.


Vedalken Orrery for Artifacts? Sounds sweet. Early game, you can drop surprise Artifacts on people, and late game, you can even drop the Myr at the end of turn, along with any busted Artifacts you want. It's a little bit cute, and of course a little more susceptible to removal, but come on, he's sparkly and does a mean job of scaring your opponent. Dropping a Master Transmuter at the end of your opponent's turn, only to transmute the Myr into a Colossus seems like GG's to me.


Two mana Artifact acceleration is usually pretty solid. From the Cameos, Signets and Talismans of old, we now get a card similar to Gemstone Mine in flavour, and pretty high in quality too. It can be used as another Signet in most decks, but decks that love abusing charge counters will love this. The ability to Proliferate this and Everflowing Chalice means you'll pretty much always have enough mana. Solid, definitely worth a slot in your Ramp set-up.


Ok, now I know 7 Mana for a Vindicate is a lot... heck, you can pay 11 Mana for Ulamog, and he gives you a 10/10 Indestructible body to boot! However, the applications I can see are with a sacrificial effect. Having, say, Goblin Welder swap this for something in your graveyard only for you to get it back is pretty nifty, albeit a little expensive, but we're used to expensive spells anyway. It might see play, it might not, but it deserves a shout, especially for those decks that want Artifacts that do crazy things.


As with all of the previous Swords, Feast and Famine is pretty solid. When evaluating cards like this, I tend to value the Bonuses and Protection abilities over the secondary, combat damage-based abilities. Now, +2/+2 is amazing for just 5 mana. A 2 mana equip costs means anything can carry the sword and use it effectively, and both Green and Black are popular colours in the format. The combat damage abilities do seem a little bit weak at first: making them discard a card can mean very little with such rampant card advantage floating around, but checking out the second ability... It gives you another Seedborn Muse, effectively. It gives you the chance to use your expensive spells for one more shot, or come up ahead on tempo by casting into multiple threats at once, effectively doubling your mana in the process. Sure, Sword of Fire and Ice is still the top slashing implement, but this guy is no slouch either.

***

...and thus ends my views on the new set for Commander! As always, don't just take my word for it - try the cards I haven't mentioned: you might find a busted combo with some older cards. The only way to find them is to play them and see!

As always, you can address any comments to the section below, Facebook, or hit me up on MSN at Mirage_Knight@hotmail.co.uk. Until then, happy Commanding!

Andy P

The Ten Command-Ments: Building your First Commander Deck

by Andrew Pemberton


Howdy, gang! I hope everyone had a suitably Magic-filled Christmas, and is ready to get back to some real brewing. Last article, I talked about my own Azusa Commander deck, and this week, I'd like to continue on from that to show you the steps to creating your own Commander deck, by not only leading you through the thought processes, but give you examples along the way.

1, Selecting your Colours and Commander


Now, to start off deck building, it's imperative to know what you wish to accomplish: Do you want to smother the battlefield with powerful board spells, or intricately build up a machine-like combo? Once you know what you need to accomplish, you can choose your colours accordingly. For the intricately minded, Blue offers a lot of tricks and disruption effects, while the aggressive strategies offered by both Red and Green may appeal to others among you.

You may not even want to choose your colours first: I have known many people (Including myself) to pick a Commander first and go with the colour(s) he or she offers. It's also fine if you like a Commander for his abilities, or even just sentimentality. It's Casual, so it's perfectly fine to have sentimentality enter the fray.


2, Knowing your Commander and your Plan of Attack

So, you've chosen your colours and (Hopefully) Your Commander. Now, we can start to build up an idea of the type of deck we would like to run. To do this, I often make a Pros and Cons list of what my deck should be able to do, as a result of my Commander choice. Doing this allows you to pinpoint both the strengths and weaknesses of your chosen Commander, and allows you to formulate basic plans of attack in order to fight your weaknesses. For example, if you need to sacrifice a creature in order to activate your Commander's effect, then having a few token generators allows you to use very little mana and card advantage to gain a continuous source of fodder.

Of course, knowing your Commander also means knowing your plan of attack, stemming into the Three major Archetypes: Control; Aggro; and Combo.

Control decks tend to favour a permission style of play: That is, they allow you to control what happens on the board, either through 'Sweepers' (Effects that destroy all of a given type of card on the field, i.e. Day of Judgment), Counterspells (Mana Leak), and bouncing permanents to their controller's hand (Unsummon). Supplemented with a fair amount of card draw, this style of play always needs a fairly large card count in hand in order to benefit fully, and cards that recycle themselves, such as Capsize, are often at use in these forms of decks due to the lack of Card Advantage spent in order to gain their full effects.

Aggro decks are the complete opposite of their Control counterparts: They want to win, and they want to do it as quickly and brutally as possible, either by playing a threatening creature every turn, or using fast ramp spells (Spells that increase your mana production or land count on the Battlefield) in order to put out their bigger Creatures as fast as possible. These strategies always include lots of efficient creatures that either have a high Power and Toughness, or that have very useful effects when in combat, such as Trample or Flying. Aggro decks also tend to have a lot of removal, either in the form of single-one-shot effects or their own versions of sweepers, and also gain benefit from having utility-style effects such as Hull Breach in order to target multiple threats at once.

Combo decks are a little more complex than the previous Archetypes: Combo decks support combination play, in that they want to assemble a game-winning set of cards as fast as possible. Not usually running many creatures, these types of decks instead want to use Card Draw and Tutors (Cards that allow you to search your library for a specific type of card) in order to assemble said combo as quickly as possible. There are plenty of Combination plays available, and even Aggro and Control decks can use certain combos in order to gain advantage. Combo play is also the most versatile form of attack, which can result in milling the Opponent's library; dealing infinite damage to every player; and making infinite mana to support said combos. Combo decks are also, by their nature, very fragile: If one of your pieces is gone, you may have trouble reforming it, so it does take careful consideration in order to make the right plays.

3, Choosing cards to fit your plan

Now, most Pro Players will say that a good basis to any deck is knowing what your deck does, and how its cards interact. In Commander, there is very little difference: In fact, the nature of Highlander formats allows us to have more interactions between our spells, and generally the more our cards interact, the better our results become. Certainly, it is important to consider what cards you need to achieve certain goals, and how versatile these cards are in our overall plan. Not only that, we need a structure so that we don't overdo it on certain areas: We don't want to be drawing too many removal spells when we need a Creature to end the game for us.

As a basic plan, I tend to not have a fixed outline for deck building, as some decks need cards that others don't. As a basic principle, I would look to this as an outline;

-35-40 Land

As with any format, you can't do much without Land. This should be a mix of both colour-producing lands and utility lands. In accordance with the number of spells of a specific colour, your lands should have a similar ratio in producing those colours. Of course, two and three-colour decks have the benefit of Dual Lands and Tri-Lands in order to help fix their mana base. Utility lands are lands that serve a purpose other than producing mana, and should be at their minimum in a 3 or more colour deck. This will give you the right mana to cast your spells, but can be added to or reduced depending on the lands you need to accomplish your goals. Some lands can add Coloured mana as well as an effect, such as Oran-Rief the Vastwood, allowing you access to the lands without crippling your mana base.

-5-10 Mana producers (Land Search, Ramp, Artifact Mana)

Depending on the colour, you may have more or less access to Ramp. Green tends to be the best colour for land searching and ramping, and can easily be a support colour in a three colour deck to ensure you get your mana as fast as possible. However, in other colours this ramp is a little harder to achieve. One way around this is to use the best slots available within your colour: All colours have some form of Land search or ramp spells;

White: Land Tax; Weathered Wayfarer
Blue: High Tide
Black: Dark Ritual
Red: Desperate Ritual; Seething Song

It's up to you to weed out what you think is the best style of card for your deck. The second option is the use of Artifact-based mana. Though sometimes expensive in terms of monetary value, this allows you to ramp if your colour is a little weak in terms of options in this field. Cards such as Mana Vault, Darksteel Ingot, and the Signets from Ravnica Block offer fairly inexpensive ways of producing mana, and depending on your budget, Sol Ring makes an invaluable ally in Ramping for any deck.

-20-25 Creatures

Now, let me get this point across very clearly: Everyone has creatures in Commander. If you go in unprepared, you'll find it incredibly hard to win. These creatures can change, depending on the makeup of your deck, however. If you have a control style of deck, you may find that loading up on Removal is a better prospect than having more guys, and finding one to protect may be an easier prospect than having your creatures constantly destroyed.

I like to think of creatures in a few ways: I want a few creatures that do specific roles - Some to help me ramp, some to give me some utility, and some to win me the game. Getting the right balance is all about playing with the cards and finding out what works for you, and whether cards are optimal for the deck as a whole.

-7-12 Card Draw / Card Advantage

Having some form of card draw, even in colours that are scarce of it, allows you to keep refilling your hand and finding gas. Just like ramp, all colours have some form of draw, although some draw is better than others... and just like ramp, there are colourless options as well, though they tend to be more of a 'group hug' (Cards that help all players equally) field than anything. Colourless draw that is targeted (Jayemdae Tome, etc), can be expensive in most cases, but may be better than having no options at all.

-2-5 Tutors

Invaluable for combo decks, these allow you to find what you need straight away. Black tends to have the most versatile tutors, but some will cost you life. Depending on your game plan, you will need some form of tutoring in order to find what you need easier: If you know a card is key to your strategy, then packing a couple of ways to search it up is never a bad idea. These cards can be a little expensive in monetary terms depending on your colours, though, but there are always options in a field of 11,000 Cards. Reusable Tutors are always handy (Artificer's Intuition; Survival of the Fittest), and can let you go for whatever you need as you go through the game, often for minimal cost.

-8-10 Removal (Including Sweepers and Spot Removal)

As with creatures, removal is essential for any deck. The types of removal vary greatly from colour to colour: White prefers to destroy everything on the board or Exile certain threats, while Red prefers to burn everything to a crisp. The best way to pack your removal is to know that you have something for everything, so at least you have a chance at neutering opposing threats. The best cards in this category for versatility are the Command Cycle from Lorwyn Block. Each Command offers at least some form of removal over its four 'Modes', but that versatility means that the cards can still be useful should you not be under direct threat of a Woodfall Primus stomping on your face.

-10-15 Utility Spells (Recursion, Token Generators, etc)

These incorporate cards that aren't defined the above structure. These cards can include recursion, either returning cards to play or to your hand, or cards that allow you added utility in some regard. These cards are usually tied to your Commander in some way, either in creating a combination play, or just in aiding your board position a little by letting you re-use key cards.

Now, the structure is never a perfect structure: You can never tie many strategies into one style of deckbuilding, but you can at least get a starting point from this style of thinking. Just think of what you need to be playing, and dedicate an area of your 100 cards to that specific point.

4. Testing and tweaking your Deck.

Of course, Commander is meant to be a fun format, but that doesn't mean you can't always tweak your deck. Building the deck is half of the fun, but actually playing and enjoying your deck is the major part of any game of Magic. Now, you can never make a perfect Commander deck on the first try: I find myself always finding cards that I want to try, or cards that I didn't find were up to the task that I'd set for them.

Deck Construction in this format should be in a constant state of flux: You should always want to try and adapt your strategies, try new cards if and when your budget allows, or even so much as change the Commander you're using if it means developing your play style further. If there's one thing I want you to take away from this, it is that you never have to keep your deck the same: Change cards, mix it up a little, and you'll find your understanding deepen, and even take some helpful hints into Standard or Drafting at the next WNM. Your deck won't evolve if you don't evolve with it.

5. Repeat Ad Nauseam

Now, once you've caught the bug of actually building and playing decks, you can experiment with new colours and Commanders. The world of Commander is a constantly evolving format: With each new set comes new potential for Commanders, new removal cards, and new cards to supplement our strategies. Only by exploring these intricacies will we find our new ways to play.

...and with that, I will bid thee adieu. I hope you enjoyed this week's segment as much as I enjoyed writing it. Until next week, feel free to use the links below to contact me, or just grab me for a chat at WNM next week.

Until then, take your game to the next level!
Andy P
e-mail: Ajpem@castlecore.com
MSN: Mirage_Knight@hotmail.co.uk

The Ten Command-Ments: Azusa, Lost but Seeking

by Andrew Pemberton

Howdy, all. After last week's success (or so I've been told), I can now announce my further involvement in the Team Leeds Blog! Ron Wagner has set me up as a Co-Author for the site, and I will be using this capacity mainly as a multiplayer writer. My aim is to get more people involved and interested in all formats, but for the most part, I'd like to talk about Commander in many facets, from strategy and politics to deck techs from not only myself, but other players within the group.

However, as of last week's discussion, two major rules changes have occurred:

*Emrakul, the Aeons Torn is now BANNED!


For those of you just getting into Commander (Or for those who have played against John Ingham or Mark Hammond any time during the last 3 months), Emrakul was the bane of any player's existence. Play would devolve into one of two scenarios usually;

1, You cast a 15-Mana 'I win the game spell', which forces everyone else on the table to try and kill you before you kill them.
2, A player would cast Bribery, and often steal a player's Emrakul, sealing the win for themselves as early as turn 4 or 5 with acceleration.

Now, the Giant Tentacle Monster is no more, and we can all feel free to enjoy intricate combos again. As for the other change;

*When building a Commander deck, the mana symbols in the text box are just as important as those in the cost of a card. The Commander’s color identity restricts what cards may appear in the deck.

In short, this translates to previously unplayable Generals such as Memnarch; Bosh, Iron Golem and Rhys the Exiles being legal for Commander play. Colour Identity refers to both the mana cost and any mana symbols in your chosen General's text box, and you may use cards of those colours.

i.e. I am running a Thelon of Havenwood Commander deck. Under the old rules, I could only use Green or Colourless cards because Thelon's colour identity was only Green. Now, Thelon decks are allowed to use both Green and Black coloured cards, as Thelon has a Black mana symbol within his text box: Perfect for those who love Pernicious Deed!

OK, now that those have been addressed, I'd like to begin my real talking point. At the request of Steve McAleer, I have produced a Deck Tech for my own Commander deck. I present to you... Azusa, Lost but Seeking!


Commander:
1 Azusa, Lost but Seeking


If you remember from last week, I described a few ways in which you should look to use your general. Azusa, in my eyes, is a little bit of a unique general, in that you want to be able to cast her often, but even just casting her once can put you incredibly far ahead based on what your hand looks like. I sit in the Sam Black school of thinking, in that I want to abuse my general as much as possible, and what way to do that than with a lot of land?

Lands:
20 Forest
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Windswept Heath
1 Wooded Foothills



As a Mono-Green build, the Forests are essentials. The fetches allow me to thin my deck slightly, and also combo well with cards further down the list. I generally want one or two Green-producing lands in my opener, ideally with one of the next few cards.

1 Havenwood Battleground
1 Hickory Woodlot
1 Ancient Tomb
1 Crystal Vein



These lands are all special in that each one allows me to cast a turn 2 Azusa. Some do it at the cost of life, others at the cost of a sacrifice. Either way, the resources in Commander are such that you can afford some form of liberties, either with your life total or with sacrificial outlets. The increase in tempo they allow you is well worth the cost.

1 Dust Bowl
1 Strip Mine
1 Tectonic Edge
1 Wasteland



Land Destruction is helpful both in 1V1 and Multiplayer situations. In any case, most LD is used to keep a cap on someone trying to abuse utility lands such as Academy Ruins to set up a combo. At a push, you can keep people off colours, but it depends how cut-throat you want to be. Know that by destroying lands just for the sake of it, you will likely incur the wrath of your opponent.

1 Blasted Landscape
1 Slippery Karst
1 Tranquil Thicket



The cycle lands offer a little bit of extra draw late game, while being acceptable as land drops in the early game. Every card matters, and having some that can pull double-duty is important in such a format.

1 Gaea's Cradle
1 Yavimaya Hollow
1 Boseiju, Who Shelters All
1 Eldrazi Temple
1 Eye of Ugin
1 Petrified Field
1 Reliquary Tower
1 Temple of the False God
1 Vesuva



The rest of my mana base just offers various utility depending on what I need. Cradle gives me lots of mana; Hollow allows me to protect my creatures, while Boseiju protects my spells. The Temple and Eye of Ugin are for my small Eldrazi contingent, and it gives me a tutor for not only them, but also other Colourless creatures, depending on what I need. Petrified Field lets me re-use my sacrificed lands; Temple of the False God is an easy 2 mana in this deck; Reliquary Tower lets me go overboard on some of the draw effects; and Vesuva allows me doubles of any land, or just detroy my opponent's Legendary land.

Mana Acceleration:
1 Crop Rotation
1 Hermit Druid
1 Lotus Cobra
1 Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary
1 Sylvan Scrying
1 Life From the Loam
1 Realms Uncharted
1 Journey of Discovery
1 Gaea's Bounty
1 Oracle of Mul Daya
1 Seek the Horizon
1 Primeval Titan
1 Krosan Tusker
1 Mana Vault
1 Sol Ring
1 Armillary Sphere
1 Crucible of Worlds



Many green Commander builds are based around the production and effective use of mana, and mine is no different. There's plenty of cheap, effective ramp for my strategy, and I don't skimp out on it. Land search is prevalent, and it mainly adds lands to my hand, allowing me to use Azusa to her full potential, as well as trigger Landfall, making Lotus Cobra a very good addition. Primeval Titan is usually seen fetching Valakuts, but here it allows me to fetch any two lands I need. However, the two most important cards are Life From the Loam and Crucible of Worlds: Both of these allow me to add another layer to my gameplay: Using the graveyard as a resource. Crucible allows me to recur my 2-mana producing lands, as well as fetch lands, while Life from the Loam gives me back the cycle lands to re-cycle (Heh ;p) for more advantage. Cast, Dredge, Repeat. The ability to constantly cantrip with the Cycle lands gives me plenty of options, including the ability to dredge back Loam should I have two or more of them at my disposal.

Draw:
1 Sylvan Library
1 Harmonize
1 Greater Good
1 Regal Force
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Scroll Rack
1 Horn of Greed
1 Well of Knowledge
1 Mind's Eye



Green does have some of the worst time with stable draw, so I've tried to include not only the best draw from my own colour, but also some artifact-based draw. Sylvan Library, Harmonize and Greater Good let me dig deeper, while Sensei's Divining Top helps me filter what I need, along with Scroll Rack. However, the most influential card is Horn of Greed: The ability to get three draws a turn with Azusa out gives you plenty of gas, or more land to continue to cycle through next turn.

Removal:
1 Lignify
1 Relic Crush
1 Rootgrapple
1 Acidic Slime
1 Desert Twister
1 Duplicant
1 All is Dust



Most Green-based removal tends to be favourable towards Non-Creature destruction, as can be seen via Rootgrapple, Relic Crush and the Slime. However, Green also has the undeniably strong Desert Twister, allowing you to destroy ANYTHING for 4GG, and as an uncommon, is a staple for those of you on tight budgets. All is Dust gives me a good board sweeper should I need it, and Duplicant gets rid of pesky fatties trying to get in your way, not to mention opposing Generals.

Tutors:
1 Worldly Tutor
1 Sylvan Tutor
1 Treefolk Harbinger
1 Survival of the Fittest
1 Eternal Witness
1 Natural Order
1 Primal Command
1 Tooth and Nail



Whether tutoring for a utility creature or for a game-winning combination, these allow me to search for exactly the right type of card for the situation. One of the more intricate of these is Treefolk Harbinger: He can fetch me a Forest if I need mana; Lignify if I need creature removal; Rootgrapple if it's a non-creature giving me trouble, or Woodfall Primus if I need a fatty AND removal in the late game. Natural Order and Tooth and Nail are both very powerful as well, giving me a tutor and allowing the creature(s) to enter the battlefield, ready to fight. I will admit that Tooth and Nail is one of my pet cards (My first forays into Standard were during Onslaught-8th-Mirrodin), it's hard to ignore such a drastically powerful spell that can set up any number of game-winning combos.

Control:
1 Mwonvuli Acid-Moss
1 Plow Under
1 Stunted Growth



These cards just give me a little more control over certain situations. Acid-Moss and Plow Under gives me some control over my opponent's lands, while Stunted Growth gives me a very rare ability: The ability to affect my opponent's hands. Usually a Blue or Black ability on the 'Colour Pie', this is a rare and very powerful effect for Green, and certainly a hidden gem of mine. Serving the same type of role as Plow Under, setting your opoonent back three cards in hand and neutering their draws for three turns can have a drastic effect on the game. I recommend it for any Green player out there :).

Creatures / Win Conditions:
1 Masticore
1 Rude Awakening
1 Kamahl, Fist of Krosa
1 Steel Hellkite
1 Avenger of Zendikar
1 Terrastodon
1 Woodfall Primus
1 Artisan of Kozilek
1 Kozilek, Butcher of Truth
1 Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre
1 Genesis Wave



...and finally, we come to our win conditions. Eventually, once we have our mana set up, we want to cast a huge threat for beating face with.This can be anything from an Avenger of Zendikar with a ton of Plant tokens; Terrastodon and his Elephant buddies; or even just an Eldrazi. Steel Hellkite gives you some much-needed evasion, and allows you to hurt your opponent's field after he hits.

Strategical advantages of Azusa:

Obviously, Azusa's main goal is to set you up with a lot of land, in order to cast your bigger spells. Azusa does this by trading in your hand for more board prescence, in the form of extra land. When combined with the draw engines and other ways of attaining Card Advantage, this becomes an immense way to keep on top.

Azusa also has the benefit of helping you ramp without painting a serious target on your face: In 1v1 games, you should aim to get a Turn 2 Commander casting, into a turn 3 massive spell, by which point, you're so far ahead that it becomes very difficult for the other player to make it back into the game.

Finally, I'd like to go few a few combination plays I use when playing;

Azusa + Horn of Greed: Horn of greed is powerful in its own right, helping you get more value out of extra lands. However, when combined with Azusa, you'll be getting 3 cantrips for the price of your opponent's one in most cases.

Crucible of Worlds + Azusa + Strip Mine: This allows you to nuke up to three lands a turn. Great for getting ahead, but not so great when everyone turns against you for it!

Masticore + Kamahl, Fist of Krosa: Another Land Destruction element, this allows you to turn your opponent's land into a 1/1 for G, then shoot it to death with Masticore's ping ability. Mid-Late game, this can be devastating, leaving your opponent with an insurmountable task to accomplish.

Regal Force + Avenger of Zendikar: Depending on the amount of land you have in play, this will almost certainly refill your hand, if not give you a little more to play with. Add Gaea's Cradle if you want a lot of mana to go with it as well.

Survival of the Fittest + Kozilek / Ulamog: Allows you to grab any creature you need, while also allowing you to shuffle your graveyard back into the deck, ready to use those spells a second time.

Well guys, that's all I have for this week's installment. As always, if you have questions, comments or just wanna chat, you can hit me up on the blog, at WNM or via MSN at Mirage_Knight@hotmail.co.uk. Thanks, and have a great week!

Andy P