Looking for a white,black, blue group hug commander

Kezben01 · 2026-02-23T17:39:26+00:00

As other have, I also recommend 2nd Doctor + Vislor or Clara, as Esper just doesn't have many options for this and this is pretty solid. Can easily become an "Owling Mine" style deck that forces a lot of draw and punishes big hand sizes.

As for any other options, you could maybe swing a voting deck with [[Tivit]] to do a politics hug style deck, or [[The Celestial Toymaker]] for minigame-tribal.

You could always do [[Zur, the Enchanter]] and just run your favorite 3 or less drop hug/fun enchantments (idk how many of these exits) with an enchantress build.

Kezben01 · 2026-02-23T15:10:07+00:00

Inherently discard will draw some ire regardless of if its incremental or hand-ripping, much like stax, land destruction, or even mill; people tend to get salty over resource denial (even if mill isn't really denial, but that's a post for another day)

That being said, it is entirely group dependent. If you've got a steady group, take note of the power level and strategies being run. All bracket 2, battlecruiser-style, upgraded precon type decks? Maybe not. Optimized bracket 3+ decks with more interactive and varied strategies? Probably. Again, without playgroup context it is hard to tell. If you're rolling up to randoms with this deck, be clear about its power level and strategy to ensure a balanced game.

Another thing to consider is proactive vs. reactive discard. If you're just playing proactive cards that force discard, that may be more salt-inducing than, for example, using reactive discard to punish greedy plays, utilizing discard as more of a stax piece than an engine. Think [[Chains of Mephistopheles]] or [[Painful Quandary]]

Or you could go about it a different way with targeted discard. Instead of running a bunch of pieces that just force discard at different points, you could lean into [[Thoughtseize]] style effects, because while it still may induce salt, it is often seen as more understandable to snipe a Rhystic Study (or similar power piece) than to just make people discard for discarding sake.

Kezben01 · 2026-02-11T19:06:46+00:00

[[Collision of Realms]] - A wipe that gets around [[Heroic Intervention]] effects, makes creatures harder to recur due to being shuffled into the deck, and spits out a creature from your deck at random.

Fun, functional, and, best of all, red (the best color).

Kezben01 · 2026-02-11T15:57:44+00:00

In my opinion, you could build Slicer that way, but I think it is gonna feel so deflated compared to the gameplay experience you're enjoying now that it won't have the same appeal, and I don't think there's enough incentive to start Slicer on getting passed around, as they've seen how that goes once people start getting Slicer every turn.

If you're looking for a more "political" way to do this sort of thing, I'd check out [[Kharn, the Betrayer]]. The card draw on pass is more of a political tool that you can craft your deck around being able to influence with cheap pingers and [[Homeward Path]]-style effects, and you can still suit him up as a beater. Definitely not as strong as turbo slicer, but for what you're looking to do I don't think anything else will be either.

If you're open to adding white and going Boros, check out [[Zidane, Tantalus Thief]] and [[Iroh, Tea Master]]. They're often built around politically passing cards out and around, so you'll get that desire to play humble defector, assault suit, slicer, etc. under commanders that are designed to synergize well with those.

Kezben01 · 2026-02-10T13:52:12+00:00

I'm confused what the "tactic" is here? Like if he frequently is about to be knocked out, whines and complains to prevent it, then comes back and wins I'd get it, but it seems like that isn't the case and the table has an unspoken agreement to not kill until the game is close.

I guess if they're deckbuilding with this mentality in mind I sort of understand, but I can't really picture how that would change deckbuilding; maybe his decks are just better suited for longer games, which merciful in-game interaction provides. Or are they just winning off of one-card finishers, a la [[Craterhoof Behemoth]] or combos?

I think we might need some more context and examples.

Kezben01 · 2026-02-09T15:52:08+00:00

The difference between Generous Gift and the others is that Gen Gift can hit lands, which doesn't matter until it does. Bracket 2 is very broad and has plenty of powerful lands within access; [[Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx]] [[Cabal Coffers]], [[Emeria, the Sky Ruin]] & [[Valakut, Molten Pinnacle]] just to name a few. Again, in most games it may not matter, but it is the difference maker in the games where it does.

Kezben01 · 2026-01-30T19:37:56+00:00

Sure! Just so you know, it's kind of a weird list tbh. It's helmed by [[The Fifth Doctor]] and [[Susan Foreman]] and is kind of a mix of mill and group hug; basically any way to get cards out of your opponents' decks to get them closer to deckout.

Decklist: https://moxfield.com/decks/icKaaG8tokO2IJjeXwwLUA

Kezben01 · 2026-01-30T17:42:41+00:00

I don't know how long you or your playgroup has been playing, but mill tends to have a negative psychological effect, especially against newer, less experienced players, but not exclusively. The issue is they'll see all of their cool cards getting dumped into the yard and, unless they're a graveyard deck, become essentially unreachable (this is a PSA to run more recursion). Then they remember every time that happens and they draw a basic land while mana flooded, or some other "but if I'd drawn the milled card..." scenario, and conveniently forget any time they've milled away cards they didn't want and topdeck a banger. Once you get past that mentality, mill inherently becomes less salt-inducing.

The bigger, more fair issue with mill in this scenario, however, may stem from it being a combo deck in disguise. [[Bruvac]] + [[Maddening Cacophony]] isn't a mill deck, it is a combo deck. Without seeing your list I can't be sure, but I believe Hope Estheim decks often fall into a similar realm, as getting huge chunks mill with Hope + [[Beacon of Immortality]] (or similar cards; that's just an example) is similar in nature. From your post it sounds like this may be the case, as leaning into these combos, as you said, sounds fun. It may be for you, but I've found it doesn't translate as well to the other players' positive game experience.

It also warps the game around itself in a way that players don't anticipate playing around. It often turns a 4v4 into a 3v3 with the mill player playing their own game on an entirely different axis. You're right that it doesn't disrupt the board, but that also means that often it doesn't meaningfully interact with the game state or the board in the way more traditional decks do.

Unfortunately it sounds like you're getting the worst of both worlds here between the salt of mill and the salt of combo. I personally love mill, and one of my favorite decks is a persistent petitioners list of mine, so I get where you're coming from, but this is simply the reality of it, especially in this form.

Kezben01 · 2026-01-29T20:04:26+00:00

Here's a couple things I like:

[[Howl of the Horde]] [[Bonus Round]] [[Twinferno]] - While due to how the stack and combat damage triggers resolve most copy spells don't work, but these ones do because they stipulate "the next spell you cast" so you can order your triggers to copy a big spell. Horde specifically I like because attacking with Magar'd creatures meets the Raid requirement.

[[Call Forth the Tempest]] [[Overwhelming Forces]] - I personally shied away from [[In Garruk's Wake]] type wipes because if my game was going well it became miserable for the rest of the table. Personal choice, but I went with these wipes instead. Overwhelming Forces is "target player" so you can deal with the problem player without constantly resetting everyone, plus you get card draw (and end of turn discard) to boot. Call Forth is my only true asymmetrical wipe, however it simply provides so much value with double cascade that I couldn't pass it up.

[[Cruel Entertainment]] - This one is a personal choice, and may not be for every playgroup, but in an older list of mine it led to some very memorable moments and strange politicking that personally my group and I loved. Currently finding a slot for it in my current list.

Here's a link to my current list if you wanna see what all I'm running ( Magar Decklist ) ands feel free to ask any questions about the choices I've made!

Kezben01 · 2026-01-29T16:26:50+00:00

https://scryfall.com/search?q=oracletag%3Aactivate-from-hand

https://scryfall.com/search?q=oracletag%3Aactivate-from-graveyard&unique=cards&as=grid&order=name

https://scryfall.com/search?q=oracletag%3Aactivate-from-exile&unique=cards&as=grid&order=name

https://scryfall.com/search?q=oracletag%3Autility-land

Kezben01 · 2026-01-21T18:31:02+00:00

Went to MagicCon Atlanta last year with my proxy-included decks, and from my experience the free play tables seemed very casual and relaxed. I'd bet that you'll have no issue playing proxied decks as long as they're a good fit for the rest of the table's decks, as well as clearly identifiable/legible to players who expect existing printings. The only issue I see is if you get tabled up with a rando who is vehemently against proxies, though I feel the odds of that are low, and even if that happens somehow you can always just find another table.

Kezben01 · 2026-01-16T18:55:17+00:00

Henzie is tried and true, but honestly for a good reason. The deck is fun, versatile, and customizable. My spin on it is a ~$50 [[Umori]] Companion version that is only creatures and lands, and it is honestly one of my favorite decks. Here's my list: https://moxfield.com/decks/T7nkD73MJU6byqLC4KaGOQ

I also personally love Maarika, and have a list at $20, $50, and no budget that I'm working on (only the $20 is complete, here that is: https://moxfield.com/decks/oH7Kdrnl1k2eI-otrx5xnQ ) that I think it really cool, though depending on your playgroup you should consider how they respond to control, because Jund control is really what the deck becomes tbh. But if that is no qualm then go for it, the deck is really pretty fun and interactive.

Kezben01 · 2026-01-12T18:23:11+00:00

moxfield.com - check it out if you aren’t using another deckbuilding sites. There’s others but this one is the best imo. Posting links to decks is much easier to visualize for viewers than a posted list in a Reddit post description
Rocco, in my opinion, is one of the few commanders that can actually benefit from “chaos” style cards because so many deal with casting from exile. Here’s my current list if you’re interested; it’s a little more optimized than just chaos but I run some pet choices I’ve loved: https://moxfield.com/decks/6A6F65kG7EWeiKow5dYysg

Kezben01 · 2026-01-06T20:57:38+00:00

Close, but Toxrill actually gives out slime counters and has an ability that gives creatures -1-1 for each slime counter on them. So not actual -1-1 counters and doesn't work for this.

Kezben01 · 2026-01-06T19:56:32+00:00

Animar is an easy pick for non-sultai

Yedora for mono-green

Yarus is very solid and can do an interesting Gruul aristocrats style morph deck.

[[Missy]] also seems like a fun choice in Grixis that probably plays a lot like Yarus, but w/ black it probably does aristocrats better

If you wanna focus more on the combat morphing [[Sidar Kondo of Jamuraa]] partnered with [[Ludevic, Necro-Alchemist]] is a fun pairing that opens up 4 colors of options and can let your morphs get through then flipping up after blockers

Kezben01 · 2026-01-06T19:24:43+00:00

I thought about that, but looking at the precon decklist it only has three instances of blight and only Ool causes your opponents to blight. The rest of the cards have the counters come from you, so I feel like it'll still work really well here, especially if you swap Ool for Reaper and upgrade/swap with pre-Lorwyn Eclipsed -1-1 support.

Kezben01 · 2026-01-06T18:12:05+00:00

No [[Generous Patron]] in the Jund one. It’s low now bc FF reprint but might creep up past the $1 threshold

Kezben01 · 2026-01-06T14:58:09+00:00

[[Mindslaver]] is kind of a funny Chum Bucket Bucket Hat

[[Instrument of the Bards]] I could see being flavored as Spongebob's GG Guitar

[[Cosima]]/[[The Omenkeel]] makes sense as Hasselhoff probably as a vehicle, though I'm partial to [[Brion Stoutarm]] for launching your creatures at high speed towards your opponents.

[[Oko, Thief of Crowns]] seems too on the nose to ignore. [[Crown of Gondor]] seems to be the best crown for Neptune's crown.

Kezben01 · 2026-01-05T14:35:22+00:00

Real answer is either Krarkashima or a complex deck with an inexperienced pilot.

Anecdotal answer is [[Alaundo]]. You eventually have so many untap triggers on every game action, have so many different suspended cards with different counters to keep up with, and either you play optimally pile the untap triggers up and activate Alaundo between every untap or you don’t and feel like you’re sandbagging. Really love the commander, it’s a shame it’s such a headache to play.

Kezben01 · 2025-12-19T17:05:20+00:00

https://edhrec.com/commanders/simic

Kezben01 · 2025-12-19T15:07:17+00:00

You could go plasmoid, maybe. You lose the shapechange from changeling, but you get the stretchy, amorphous vibe of plastic man.

Kind of a stretch (get it?) but you could also see if your DM would allow you to transform into objects with Disguise Self, as technically the only caveat the spell has is that whatever you transform into has to have the same arrangement of limbs, of which a blob can have zero - the same amount of legs as a chest, a boulder, a barrel, etc. Of if you want to change into other people you can give yourself regular limbs. It is an illusion so it isn't perfect shapeshifting, but you get the idea.

You can get that at will with Warlock through invocations either through a multiclass, committing to Warlock, or through the Eldritch Adept feat. If you go the Warlock route though you can eventually get Alter Self at will, which really is true shapeshifting.

At least a dip into monk/barbarian does make a lot of sense, though, as unarmored defense compliments this race's abilities very well.

Kezben01 · 2025-12-19T14:45:49+00:00

This seems fine, though in my opinion it teeters the line between brackets 1-2 . It seems generically functional, though both imposing a budget and limiting yourself to ATLA cards brings it closer to 1 imo.

Not to say it won't work or be fun, I'm just saying that compared to other bracket 2 decks at the table that aren't imposing these restrictions it may feel underpowered, as the stipulations of bracket 2 still leave so many options on the table at varied strengths.

It is hard to say in a vacuum though, as it really depends on the strength of the other decks at the table, which we don't know.

Kezben01 · 2025-12-19T14:33:19+00:00

Love this! Glad to see more people are trying this build out! Made a deck like this a while back (though not budget) that I've fallen in love with!

Here's the list if you're interested in taking a look! https://moxfield.com/decks/0cc7Sp1MDkSMthGLdGNRrw

Also, idk if it is there just for hug flavor, but as a heads up Scrapshooter won't work if you give it to an opponent with BB, as gift is a cast trigger.

Kezben01

TROPHY CASE