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By: Lythand, Aaron Duvall
Feb 23 2011 10:23am
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In this article, I continue my miniseries of two articles based around Rhys the Redeemed. I will go over the problems with getting a coherent deck as well as some of the other Rhys decks I happened to run into while making my own.
 
So a few  weeks ago, I published part one of my two part miniseries about Rhys the Redeemed. In that article I highlighted a deck by fellow online commander player, Remi. I went over the card choices and suggestions for a future deck. If you have not read that article, I suggest you go back HERE and read it over.
 
My starting point was to take Remi’s deck and replicate as much as I could. The cards I could not afford, or were hard to come by, were replaced. What I ended up with was a mixture of agro and control.
 
Here is what I came up with.
Rhys the Redeemed
A Commander deck suggested by Lythand
Creatures
1 Ant Queen
1 Azusa, Lost but Seeking
1 Bellowing Tanglewurm
1 Brawn
1 Civic Wayfinder
1 Darien, King of Kjeldor
1 Elvish Archdruid
1 Eternal Witness
1 Farhaven Elf
1 Fauna Shaman
1 Genesis
1 Imperious Perfect
1 Joraga Treespeaker
1 Joraga Warcaller
1 Kamahl, Fist of Krosa
1 Kaysa
1 Lys Alana Huntmaster
1 Masked Admirers
1 Mitotic Slime
1 Nullmage Shepherd
1 Oracle of Mul Daya
1 Priest of Titania
1 Rhys the Redeemed
1 Seedborn Muse
1 Seeker of Skybreak
1 Selesnya Guildmage
1 Silklash Spider
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Sun Titan
1 Verdeloth the Ancient
1 Weathered Wayfarer
1 Wirewood Channeler
1 Wirewood Hivemaster
1 Woodfall Primus
1 Wren's Run Packmaster
35 cards

Other Spells
1 Asceticism
1 Austere Command
1 Citanul Flute
1 Crop Rotation
1 Doubling Season
1 Elixir of Immortality
1 Elspeth Tirel
1 Enshrined Memories
1 Expedition Map
1 Garruk Wildspeaker
1 Gauntlet of Power
1 Genesis Wave
1 Horn of Greed
1 Hour of Reckoning
1 Journeyer's Kite
1 Land Tax
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Mana Reflection
1 Mimic Vat
1 Mind's Eye
1 Mirari's Wake
1 Privileged Position
1 Seer's Sundial
1 Slate of Ancestry
1 Sol Ring
1 Strider Harness
1 Sylvan Scrying
1 Venser's Journal
28 cards
 
Lands
1 Gaea's Cradle
1 Kjeldoran Outpost
1 Mikokoro, Center of the Sea
1 Mystifying Maze
1 Oran-Rief, the Vastwood
1 Reliquary Tower
1 Springjack Pasture
1 Tectonic Edge
1 Temple of the False God
1 Vesuva
1 Vitu-Ghazi, the City-Tree
1 Wirewood Lodge
10 Plains
15 Forest
37 cards

 
Rhys The redeemed
 
 
 
This version of the deck had mixed performances. I found myself with the same problems I ran into in my first Rhys deck I made years ago when I first started commander. Lack of consistency. Do not get me wrong, the philosophy behind the deck performed when the pieces fell into place, but that was not the usual. Frustration settled in and I went to the drawing board again. One issue I noticed was lack of draw. I decided to add some drawing via Howling Mine Font of Mythos and Seer's Sundial. I often found myself producing so much mana that I would empty my hand and be left topdecking, hoping for something to send the deck into overdrive. Another problem I worried about was land drops. I incorporated many ways to get consistent land drops. So many ways that I took up spaces for better cards. One thing this deck does not need to worry about is land drops, and subsequent decks in this article will prove that.
 
Here is my second version of the deck.
Rhys the Redeemed 2.0
A Commander deck suggested by Lythand
Creatures
1 Azusa, Lost but Seeking
1 Brawn
1 Darien, King of Kjeldor
1 Elvish Archdruid
1 Elvish Harbinger
1 Eternal Witness
1 Ezuri, Renegade Leader
1 Farhaven Elf
1 Genesis
1 Imperious Perfect
1 Joraga Treespeaker
1 Kamahl, Fist of Krosa
1 Llanowar Mentor
1 Lys Alana Huntmaster
1 Masked Admirers
1 Mitotic Slime
1 Nullmage Shepherd
1 Oracle of Mul Daya
1 Priest of Titania
1 Quirion Ranger
1 Rhys the Redeemed
1 Seedborn Muse
1 Selesnya Guildmage
1 Silklash Spider
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Sylvan Messenger
1 Sylvan Ranger
1 Weathered Wayfarer
1 Wellwisher
1 Wilt-Leaf Liege
1 Wirewood Channeler
1 Wirewood Herald
1 Wirewood Hivemaster
1 Woodfall Primus
1 Wren's Run Packmaster
35 cards

Other Spells
1 Asceticism
1 Coat of Arms
1 Crop Rotation
1 Doubling Season
1 Elixir of Immortality
1 Elvish Promenade
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Expedition Map
1 Font of Mythos
1 Garruk Wildspeaker
1 Genesis Wave
1 Howling Mine
1 Journeyer's Kite
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Mana Reflection
1 Mimic Vat
1 Mind's Eye
1 Mirari's Wake
1 Myr Matrix
1 Privileged Position
1 Sacred Mesa
1 Seer's Sundial
1 Sol Ring
1 Storm Herd
1 Strider Harness
1 Sylvan Scrying
1 Temple Bell
1 Venser's Journal
28 cards
 
Lands
1 Gaea's Cradle
1 Kjeldoran Outpost
1 Mikokoro, Center of the Sea
1 Mystifying Maze
1 Oran-Rief, the Vastwood
1 Reliquary Tower
1 Springjack Pasture
1 Tectonic Edge
1 Temple of the False God
1 Vesuva
1 Vitu-Ghazi, the City-Tree
1 Wirewood Lodge
10 Plains
15 Forest
37 cards

 
Rhys The redeemed
  
What I ended up with is another subpar deck that was filled with draw and land drops and failed attempt to make  the deck run smoothly. I was on the verge of throwing in the towel until one day I ran across another Rhys the Redeemed deck. This version seemed to be the deck I was looking for, a well-tuned token deck back by Rhys and a complement of elves. Piloted by Elijah121580, here is what his deck looks like.
Rhys the Redeemed
A Commander deck suggested by Elijah121580
Creatures
1 Allosaurus Rider
1 Ambush Commander
1 Arbor Elf
1 Argothian Elder
1 Birchlore Rangers
1 Burrenton Forge-Tender
1 Caller of the Claw
1 Chameleon Colossus
1 Civic Wayfinder
1 Copperhorn Scout
1 Dauntless Escort
1 Devoted Druid
1 Elvish Archdruid
1 Elvish Eulogist
1 Elvish Harbinger
1 Elvish Herder
1 Elvish Visionary
1 Ezuri, Renegade Leader
1 Fauna Shaman
1 Frontier Guide
1 Fyndhorn Elves
1 Gempalm Strider
1 Greenweaver Druid
1 Heedless One
1 Heritage Druid
1 Imperious Perfect
1 Joraga Treespeaker
1 Joraga Warcaller
1 Kozilek, Butcher of Truth
1 Llanowar Elves
1 Lys Alana Huntmaster
1 Mul Daya Channelers
1 Nettle Sentinel
1 Nissa's Chosen
1 Nomadic Elf
1 Oracle of Mul Daya
1 Priest of Titania
1 Qasali Pridemage
1 Quirion Elves
1 Quirion Ranger
1 Ranger of Eos
1 Regal Force
1 Reveillark
1 Rhys the Redeemed
1 Rune-Cervin Rider
1 Sylvan Messenger
1 Sylvan Ranger
1 Tajuru Preserver
1 Timberwatch Elf
1 Treetop Rangers
1 Viridian Shaman
1 Voice of the Woods
1 Wellwisher
1 Wilt-Leaf Liege
1 Wirewood Guardian
1 Wirewood Herald
1 Wirewood Symbiote
1 Wood Elves
1 Wren's Run Vanquisher
59 cards

Other Spells
1 Coat of Arms
1 Elven Cache
1 Elvish Promenade
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Garruk Wildspeaker
1 Genesis Wave
1 Glimpse of Nature
1 Mirari's Wake
1 Nissa Revane
1 Overwhelming Stampede
1 Skullclamp
1 Slate of Ancestry
12 cards
 
Lands
1 City of Brass
1 Drifting Meadow
1 Elfhame Palace
1 Graypelt Refuge
1 Horizon Canopy
1 Oran-Rief, the Vastwood
1 Pendelhaven
1 Razorverge Thicket
1 Secluded Steppe
1 Selesnya Sanctuary
1 Slippery Karst
1 Stirring Wildwood
1 Sunpetal Grove
1 Tranquil Thicket
1 Wirewood Lodge
1 Wooded Bastion
13 Forest
29 cards

 
Elvish Eulogist
  
As you can see Elijah’s deck has a full compliment of elves in the deck and a small mix of other creatures as well. What made his deck explode was the combination of Elvish Promenade, Glimpse of Nature, and Regal Force. Rounding out what made the deck rock was Coat of Arms. Something to note here, this version only runs 29 lands. This may be due to the fact Elijah has a lot of mana producing elves. My worry with this strategy is not drawing a land or two to get the mana rolling, and anything that produces a wrath effect. A simple Pyroclasm could seriously wreck this deck. Here is a screenshot of his game state.
 
 
 
That's a 206/206 elf token.
 
The next deck I came across was a deck built by another fellow Commander player that goes by the name of Kelds1. Let us look at his deck list.
 
Rhys the Redeemed
A Commander deck suggested by Kelds1
Creatures
1 Acidic Slime
1 Avenger of Zendikar
1 Darien, King of Kjeldor
1 Dauntless Escort
1 Emeria Angel
1 Eternal Witness
1 Fauna Shaman
1 Gaddock Teeg
1 Indrik Stomphowler
1 Kamahl, Fist of Krosa
1 Kozilek, Butcher of Truth
1 Magus of the Library
1 Master of the Wild Hunt
1 Nemata, Grove Guardian
1 Novablast Wurm
1 Nullmage Shepherd
1 Rampaging Baloths
1 Regal Force
1 Rhys the Redeemed
1 Rune-Tail, Kitsune Ascendant
1 Seedborn Muse
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Twilight Drover
23 cards

Other Spells
1 Akroma's Vengeance
1 Beacon of Creation
1 Beastmaster Ascension
1 Chord of Calling
1 Concordant Crossroads
1 Conqueror's Pledge
1 Crop Rotation
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Crush of Wurms
1 Decree of Justice
1 Doubling Season
1 Earthcraft
1 Expedition Map
1 Gelatinous Genesis
1 Glare of Subdual
1 Harmonize
1 Hunting Pack
1 Kirtar's Wrath
1 Leyline of Vitality
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Luminarch Ascension
1 Martial Coup
1 Mirari's Wake
1 Momentous Fall
1 Nomads' Assembly
1 Nostalgic Dreams
1 Oblivion Stone
1 Parallel Evolution
1 Planar Cleansing
1 Recollect
1 Retribution of the Meek
1 Rings of Brighthearth
1 Seer's Sundial
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Skullclamp
1 Sol Ring
1 Symbiotic Deployment
1 Thousand-Year Elixir
1 Tooth and Nail
1 Wrath of God
40 cards
 
Lands
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Deserted Temple
1 Diamond Valley
1 Emeria, the Sky Ruin
1 Flagstones of Trokair
1 Flooded Strand
1 Gaea's Cradle
1 Krosan Verge
1 Marsh Flats
1 Mikokoro, Center of the Sea
1 Mistveil Plains
1 Mosswort Bridge
1 Murmuring Bosk
1 Mystifying Maze
1 New Benalia
1 Oran-Rief, the Vastwood
1 Reliquary Tower
1 Sunpetal Grove
1 Temple Garden
1 Thawing Glaciers
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Vesuva
1 Windbrisk Heights
1 Winding Canyons
6 Forest
6 Plains
36 cards

 
Rune-Tail, Kitsune Ascendant
 
 
The first thing that pops out is the lack of creatures. Elijah121580 ran 59 creature cards, were as Kelds1 only runs 23, relying on sorceries, instances, and lands to produce his creatures. The thing that this deck and Elijah’s deck did have in common, its ability to accelerate very quickly.
 
So what was my deck lacking? What was it that Remi, Kelds1, and Elijah121580 did to make their decks work, where mine failed. To figure this out, I took my first version of the deck, put it into an excel spreadsheet, then I added the other three decks of my fellow commander players, and finally I added my second version.
 
Here is an example screenshot of how I kept track of everything.
 
 
 What I did was, I compared my first version with the other deck lists. I looked far cards in common, and cards that none of the other players had. The yellow indicates cards I had in common with my first deck list, and one of the deck lists of Kelds, Remi, or Elijah. Pink indicated a card that all four decks had in common.
 
Second, I compared the three decks without any version of mine to see what cards the three of them came up with that I didn’t have. Light Blue represented a card in common with Kelds, Remi, and Elijah, but cards I had not thought of in my first version
 
 
Third, I compared my second deck list with the other players’ decks to see what I had in common with those decks. The dark purple shows the cards my second version had in common with Kelds, Remi, and Elijah. The brown shows cards I did not have in my second list that I wanted to include.
 
Once I compiled all my data, my forth step was to take my second deck list and begin the process of eliminating cards that none of the other decks used, with some minor exceptions. The red indicates what I would eventually remove, and the Green indicates cards I had to acquire.
 
After all that, I had a final deck list.
Rhys the the Token Spammer 2.0
A Commander deck suggested by Lythand
Creatures
1 Brawn
1 Darien, King of Kjeldor
1 Elvish Archdruid
1 Elvish Harbinger
1 Eternal Witness
1 Farhaven Elf
1 Joraga Treespeaker
1 Kamahl, Fist of Krosa
1 Masked Admirers
1 Mitotic Slime
1 Nullmage Shepherd
1 Oracle of Mul Daya
1 Priest of Titania
1 Kozilek, Butcher of Truth
1 Rhys the Redeemed
1 Seedborn Muse
1 Selesnya Guildmage
1 Silklash Spider
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Sylvan Ranger
1 Rune-Tail, Kitsune Ascendant
1 Weathered Wayfarer
1 Wellwisher
1 Wilt-Leaf Liege
1 Wirewood Channeler
1 Wirewood Herald
1 Woodfall Primus
27 cards

Other Spells
1 Conqueror's Pledge
1 Awakening Zone
1 Coat of Arms
1 Crop Rotation
1 Doubling Season
1 Regrowth
1 Citanul Flute
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Expedition Map
1 Beastmaster Ascension
1 Eladamri's Call
1 Elven Cache
1 Kirtar's Wrath
1 Genesis Wave
1 Luminarch Ascension
1 Decree of Justice
1 Martial Coup
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Momentous Fall
1 Nomads' Assembly
1 Mana Reflection
1 Mimic Vat
1 Oblivion Stone
1 Mirari's Wake
1 Myr Matrix
1 Parallel Evolution
1 Sacred Mesa
1 Gelatinous Genesis
1 Sol Ring
1 Storm Herd
1 Recollect
1 Retribution of the Meek
1 Sylvan Scrying
1 Rings of Brighthearth
1 Symbiotic Deployment
1 Thousand-Year Elixir
35 cards
 
Lands
1 Gaea's Cradle
1 Kjeldoran Outpost
1 Mikokoro, Center of the Sea
1 Mystifying Maze
1 Oran-Rief, the Vastwood
1 Reliquary Tower
1 Springjack Pasture
1 Tectonic Edge
1 Temple of the False God
1 Vesuva
1 Vitu-Ghazi, the City-Tree
1 Wirewood Lodge
10 Plains
15 Forest
37 cards

 
Rhys the Redeemed
 
Now that I have my Hybrid of five different decks, let us go through and see what we have.
 
Token Generators
Awakening Zone Doubling Season Luminarch Ascension Decree of Justice Martial Coup Mimic Vat Mitotic Slime Myr Matrix Parallel Evolution Rhys the Redeemed Sacred mesa Gelatinous Genesis Selesnya Guildmage Storm herd Kjeldoran Outpost Springjack Pasture Vitu-Ghazi, the City-Tree
 
The Token generator suite is big, and it should be. The theme of the deck is tokens. There are a  few of the token generators I want to comment on.
 
There we a few cards the other decks did not have that I felt were important in my version.
 
Mimic Vat can be a great way to get tokens. Mimic vat puts a token copy of the exiled card into play. Now if you do this right, you can get a lot of use out of it. If you have the mana, during your opponents end step, make a token. It is not exiled till the beginning of the next end step. Now on your turn, use Rhys the Redeemed to make a copy of it. Only the copy you made with the Mimic Vat will be exiled. Now imagine doing this with a Doubling Season in play, and using Rhys’ ability to double them during the end step you put the Mimic Vat token into play. Spicy.
 
 Next on the list is Sacred Mesa. I am not sure how people missed this. Sacred Mesa has been the white poster child for infinite token generation for quite some time. I think this is an awesome card and should be considered if you build your own version.
 
Mitotic Slime. How can you miss this guy? He replaces himself three times, all in tokens. There was one game where I had a Mitotic Slime under the Mimic Vat, A Doubling Season in play, and Rhys was going to town making ooze tokens. Apparently there is a limit to the amount of tokens one can have in play on MtGO. The client was saying that it put zero tokens in play. The sad part about that game, I lost. Wrath effects can do some damage to you.
 
Acceleration and Tutors
Crop Rotation Elvish Archdruid Elvish Harbinger Citanul Flute Enlightened Tutor Expedition Map Farhaven Elf Genesis Wave Joraga Treespeaker Mirari's Wake Oracle of Mul Daya Priest of Titania Solemn Simulacrum Sylvan Ranger Weathered Wayfarer Wirewood Herald Wirewood Channeler Priest of Titania Gaea's Cradle
 
This deck needs a lot of mana and ways to get the mana. The acceleration and tutor package is here to help.
 
Probably the most important card, and the one that stands out as an obvious inclusion is Gaea’s Cradle. Putting a Gaea’s Cradle in play is like putting nitrous injection into your sports car. It will send you well ahead of the rest of the table in terms of mana production. The downside is that it produces some hate. People will already be looking at you because of your general. Once the Cradle hits the play, it gets worse. Lucky for us we have ways to get it back if it hits the graveyard.
 
Because of the importance of the cradle, we have numerous ways to search for it. Crop Rotation, Expedition Map, and Weathered Wayfarer are all great land tutors to help find your Cradle.
 
Draw and Utility
Coat of Arms Beastmaster Ascension Elven Cache Kamahl, Fist of Krosa Lightning Greaves Masked Admirers Nullmage Shepherd Seedborn Muse Silklash Spider Recollect Rings of Brighthearth Rune-Tail, Kitsune Ascendant Woodfall Primus Thousand-Year Elixir Symbiotic Deployment
 
 
Drawing cards is probably the third most important aspect of this deck. With all the acceleration in the deck, you may often find yourself with nothing to cast. This is where the card draw comes in.
 
Momentous Fall, Kozilek, Butcher of Truth, Masked Admirers, Symbiotic Deployment and Mikokoro, Center of the Sea are there to help replenish your hand. Additionally, Kozilek can reset your deck and Momentous Fall can gain you a considerable amount of life. The great thing about this deck is even if you do run out of cards, there are plenty of mana abilities you can spend you mana on making tokens.
 
There are two cards here I want to mention that I found interesting. The cards that really helped to push my deck in the right direction are Coat of Arms and Rune-Tail, Kitsune Ascendant. The Coat of Arms does the obvious of making your creatures bigger. With the amount of tokens you get, the consequences of it helping your opponents is minimal. Rune-Tail is great for things like Pyroclasm and Earthquake. It also insures your tokens will survive if they have to block. Another possible card to fill in for Rune-Tail would be Vigor.
 
Wrath Effects
Silklash Spider Martial Coup Oblivion Stone Retribution of the Meek
 
Martial Coup and (Kirtar’s Wrath) help to clear the board while putting some threats in play. They fit the theme of the deck perfectly and I am sure they will not disappoint you. Retribution of the Meek is great for eliminating the big creatures that can be troublesome to deal with. Oblivion Stone is there for an all around board wipe. Sometimes there are other things other than creatures you need to get rid of, and the Oblivion Stone is there to help. The final card here is Silklash Spider One of the weaknesses of the deck was the ability to deal with fliers. My original version had no way to deal with them, and I often found myself over run by them. When I built my succeeding version of the deck, I felt that the spider would be a great way to keep the skies under wraps from things like Skithiryx, The Blight Dragon, Steel Hellkite, and Rith, the Awakener which are cards that can make your day miserable.
 
 
So how did the final version hold up? Let’s take look.
 
The Battlefield
 
 
 
 
Game 1
 
Rith, the Awakener Teneb, the Harvester
 
In this game I am facing off against Rith, the Awakener, Teneb, the Harvester, and Wort, The Raid Mother.  My opening hand looks like this.
 
Plains Storm Herd Parallel Evolution Masked Admirers Woodfall Primus Elvish Archdruid Priest of Titania
 
This is a gamble of a hand, but I think I can manage to pull it off by getting a turn three Gaea's Cradle. Not too far into the future, I will realize keeping a one land hand is not good. Nothing too exciting happens for the first three turns. On turn four, Wort manages to have ten lands in play. A combination of casting Sakura-Tribe Elder, Three Wishes, and Primeval Titan giving it haste with Fires of Yavimaya. Rith puts Garruk Wildspeaker into play and then cast Day of Judgment. Wort manages to get Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre into play and goes on the offensive attacking Teneb. On my turn I am stuck at four land and just pass. Teneb’s next turn he attacks Rith. Rith responds with Wing Shards, and I sigh a bit of relief when Wort sacrifices Ulamog. On my turn I peel a Sylvan Ranger off the top of the deck which allows me to search for another land. I am in desperate need of a (Forest) since I have Masked Admirers still in hand. Wort plays Doubling Season on his turn and then cast Avenger of Zendikar putting 32 plant tokens into play. At this point Teneb and Rith both concede the game leaving me to fend for myself. Since I am so far behind on the curve I figure my chances of survival are slim and I conceded as well.
 
Game 2
 
I am facing off against these guys
 
Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind Sliver Queen Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind
 
That’s right folks, two Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind. I will be glad when the Commander rules online mirror the Commander rules in paper.
 
I open with a hand that looks like this.
 
Joraga Treespeaker Enlightened Tutor Crop Rotation Brawn Luminarch Ascension Genesis Wave
 
I start my turn one putting the Joraga Treespeaker in to play. I figure the quicker I can ramp him up, the quicker I can start mass producing tokens. On turn 2, I level up the Treespeaker and pass. Niv-Mizzet-1 plays a Sol Ring, but nothing other than that happens this turn. Turn three I cast the Brawn in hopes that it ends up in the Graveyard soon. Niv-Mizzet-2 tries to cast Taurean Mauler but Niv-Mizzet-1 counters. Sliver Queen puts a Trace of Abundance on his Savage Lands and then cast Journeyer’s Kite. At the end of the queen’s turn, I cast the Enlightened Tutor searching up Mirari’s Wake. On my turn four, I put the wake into play, cast Crop Rotation, searching up the Gaea’s Cradle, putting that into play as well. I attack Niv-Mizzet-1 with the Brawn. Nothing else of note worthy happens on turn four. On my turn five I cast Rhys, the Redeemed, and then Genesis Wave for eight. The wave puts Mitotic Slime, Elvish Archdruid, Expedition Map, Priest of Titania, a Plains, and a Rune-Tail, Kitsune Ascendant. The Ascendant flips immediately. I attack Nivmizzet-2 with the Brawn and he concedes mentioning his girlfriend just got into a car accident. I take a moment to pause and reflect the fact when playing online games against other opponents, you really wonder what’s going on in their world. Sliver Queen does nothing of interest and at the end of her turn, I search up Mosswort Bridge. On my turn 6 I play the bridge and tuck a Selesnya Guildmage underneath. I attack Niv-Mizzet-1 with the Brawn and Sliver Queen with the Mitotic Slime. Sliver Queen puts herself into battle. I begin to wonder if there is an in finite combo with Heartstone. End of Sliver Queen’s turn, I make an elf token. On my turn seven I cast Masked Admirers and then attack Niv-Mizzet-1 with Brawn and Joraga Treespeaker in an attempt to turn up the heat. I send the Mitotic Slime at Sliver queen as well hoping she will block, and turn it into tokens, but she doesn’t take the bait. On Sliver Queen’s turn seven, she decides to play Warp World. I am a bit confused as to why you would play that against a token generating deck, but I figure what the heck. I respond by cycling Decree of Justice for 18 Soldier Tokens and then doubling them with (Rhys, the Redeemed). At this point Niv-Mizzet-1 concedes. I obviously outnumbered Sliver Queen in permanents, and when I start putting my triggers on the stack, Sliver Queen concedes.
 
 
The After Math
 
My thoughts on the deck are positive. It’s a fun deck to play. It’s an explosive deck that can generate an army in no time. It can also draw hate. The combination of Rhys, the Redeemed with Gaea’s Cradle is enough to scare any veteran magic player into attacking you. It’s not really over powering though and has many ways it can go construction wise as you can see from the decks I post above. There are still a few cards I am considering replacing in the deck. One card I plan to add is Eldrazi Monument. Another card I would like to add is Primeval Titan, but I am going to have to wait till the price drops a little. Build the deck, give it a try, and tell me what you think.
 
 
Epilogue
 
I want to first apologize for taking so long to get this article published. My job has been very busy taking up a lot of my time. My wife was in Chicago visiting family, and that left me with extra house chores as well. Finally I am working on another Magic Project, my Level one Judge Certification. With that I won’t be writing until I get my L1 certification. I will be devoting a lot of time studying. Also, I won't be playing as much online or with my paper commander group. I have been teetering on the idea of becoming a judge for quite some time now. Recently however my fellow friend Bryan, was recently promoted to a level 2 judge. With that status he can help tutor me along. So when I next return, I hope to be a fresh new L1 judge, and may even write about my adventures getting there.
 
Thanks for reading my articles and until next time, Be kind to your fellow players.

 

6 Comments

my gawd the amount of work by Clan Magic Eternal at Wed, 02/23/2011 - 13:19
Clan Magic Eternal's picture
5

my gawd the amount of work and detail. love it, even though i rarely even watch edh let alone play it.

Fecundity will help with your by Leviathan at Thu, 02/24/2011 - 01:37
Leviathan's picture

Fecundity will help with your card draw as well.

Nice deck. Interesting method of assembling it. I've done something similar int he past, but since I have no idea how to use excel I didn't actually put a spreadsheet together. Good luck on the judge certification!

Everyone draw by Lythand at Thu, 02/24/2011 - 16:09
Lythand's picture

I thought about Fecundity. I didn't want to use it because it gives everyone an advantage.

Screenie by Lythand at Thu, 02/24/2011 - 18:04
Lythand's picture

Here is a screen shot of where I only attacked with half my creatures. Player name withheld to protect the victims.

Photobucket

I don't think they will ever by protocol_7 at Fri, 02/25/2011 - 06:36
protocol_7's picture

I don't think they will ever change the commander rule about legendary creatures.

If commanders annihilated each other, it would be an unfair advantage to other players. On paper, players can make sure their commanders do not overlap before the match starts but you cannot do so online.

The current rule is a necessity. Now if they will fix that damn commander zone for my norin and ghost council.

The plan by Lythand at Fri, 02/25/2011 - 16:09
Lythand's picture

The plan is to make the rules for commander mirror the rules in paper. Not sure if it will ever happen, but I personally think they should.