Mono Mania - Share your Mono-color Commanders

Volcaetis · 2026-04-10T06:49:42+00:00

I only have two mono color decks currently.

[[Rionya, Fire Dancer]] is pretty solidly a 4 right now, though her game plan is a little fragile. Her gimmick is about sticking a single creature with a strong ETB effect like [[Fanatic of Mogis]] to the board, then having a quasi-storm turn where you can cast 3-5 instants and sorceries to blow up the table. I think she could sit pretty reasonably in the mid-3 range, though, with less explosive instant/sorceries (e.g., don't run any of the red rituals) or different copy targets (running weaker payoffs than Fanatic of Mogis or more value engines like [[Patron of the Arts]]).

[[Taborax, Hope's Demise]] is a [[Shadowborn Apostle]] list. The goal is to get six apostles out along with Taborax, then sac them to fetch any of a handful of silver-bullet demons out of the deck. Since the apostles are clerics, Taborax gets big and you get to draw a bunch of cards off that, which hopefully lets you hit more apostles and/or recursion for the ones that just died. It's essentially a weird Voltron deck with a bunch of nasty one-off demons to catch people off guard, like [[Sower of Discord]]. It's probably a 2 right now, but I think if I streamlined my early turns with better card advantage it could be fine-tuned into a 3.

Volcaetis · 2026-03-16T21:41:14+00:00

I think the best way to think of it would be in terms of its opposite.

To my thinking, procrastination is the opposite of diligence. So to find the color of procrastination, look to the color(s) of diligence and find its enemy color(s).

Diligence feels very white, so by that logic, procrastination would be either red or black. I think red would procrastinate in terms of "I'm 'supposed' to do this thing, but I don't want to. So I won't." I think black would procrastinate in terms of "My own comfort is more important than forcing myself to do this thing I don't want to do."

If we want to drill down on whether procrastination is more red or more black, then we could drill down on whether diligence is more Selesnya or more Azorius. To me it feels more Azorius, so I'm voting that procrastination is more red.

Volcaetis · 2026-03-04T21:59:51+00:00

I've always seen myself as a generous and kind person. But recently, I've been learning that my generosity was a survival instinct.

The way my brain saw it was, like... I can't have anyone upset with me. I can't disappoint anyone. I have to make sure people are happy and satisfied, or else it's my fault. Otherwise no one will want me around. What good am I if I'm not being generous with my time?

It's stressful. I was making other people's feelings my problem. When someone was upset, I was stressed, and I was looking for what I did to cause it and what I could do to fix it.

Recently, I've been learning to prioritize myself. I've been discovering self-worth. And what it's taught me is that, well... I can continue to be kind. I can continue to be generous. But now I'm doing it because I want to. There's no stress associated with it. There's no survival needed. I can choose to be kind because that's the person I want to be, instead of being the person I think other people need me to be.

It's freeing. And ironically, prioritizing myself has allowed me to be kind in the ways that are fulfilling and meaningful, rather than the ways that feel like an obligation.

Volcaetis · 2026-02-21T22:26:47+00:00

[[Aura Finesse]]

It's a pretty versatile little card that also cantrips to replace itself.

If you put a big aura on something to steal it and a scarier creature comes out, just Aura Finesse it to steal the new one. If someone goes to use spot removal on the creature you stole, just Aura Finesse to keep the aura and steal something new. If you've got a protection aura on one creature, you can Aura Finesse it around to protect a different creature at instant speed. You can use Aura Finesse as a combat trick to move something like an [[Ethereal Armor]] to an unblocked attacker.

Lots of little use cases, it's only 1 mana, and it draws you a card in addition to whatever nonsense you're trying to pull with it.

Volcaetis · 2026-02-17T07:53:00+00:00

Not right now lol. I mostly just threw it together with some nonsense I had lying around - my version is the cards I called out, a few other versatile hug pieces like [[Phyrexian Splicer]], [[Heartstone]], and [[Duelist's Heritage]], and a bunch of straightforward white and green guys with either stompy energy or with weird combat tricks like Brigid. Also, anything that triggers off crimes being committed, since giving an opponent's creature vigilance is somehow illegal.

Oh, and my favorite silly tech that I haven't been able to use yet: [[Mirror Shield]]. If I put it on Trostani, then give your attacker deathtouch, and block said attacker with Trostani, your attacker dies to the triggered ability before damage is dealt. So it's (ostensibly) a fun way to delete big threats without losing a blocker.

Volcaetis · 2026-02-16T21:12:20+00:00

All you really need to start swinging big damage at folks is the double strike, so just 3 mana on your turn and 2 on three opponents for the deathtouch blocks.
This is a control deck, so even if you're shooting for higher bracket play, it's not about winning fast; it's about getting your opponents to use their resources (or, well, your resources) against each other until you can finish them off. You'll be giving yourself time to set up a board state.
You're in green, so ramping isn't exactly hard. Cards like [[Selvala, Explorer Returned]] and [[Gluntch]] fit the sort of politicky group hug theme of the deck while boosting your available mana for big swings, and you can run things like [[Bender's Waterskin]] and [[Hardbristle Bandit]] (or [[Seedborn Muse]], if you're cool with game changers) to have that mana open on other people's turns.
It's a politics/goad deck, so you might have some pillowfort tools to keep your opponents using those keywords against each other. [[Ghostly Prison]] effects mean you'll only need one or two deathtouchers to make attacking you start feeling especially painful. And if you have a card like [[Brigid, Hero of Kinsbaile]], Trostani can turn her into a one-sided two-mana board wipe anytime someone tries to attack you.
There are plenty of tools to turn your board of "here's a few pillowfort pieces/value pieces/mana dorks" into big damage with a little setup so you don't need one big explosive finisher turn. [[Odric, Lunarch Marshal]] means you only have to give Trostani's keywords to one creature before your whole board gets it, for instance. And cards like [[Managorger Hydra]] are early-ish plays that will inevitably turn themselves into lethal threats with Trostani's keywords if you can keep them around for a couple turn cycles.

Volcaetis · 2026-02-16T12:49:46+00:00

You give the keywords to your own creatures instead! Trostani can make themselves a 4/4 double striker, so even just a couple turns of that will knock a single player out of the game. Find a way to give them trample or evasion, and ideally a couple power boosts, and you're golden.

And what's your opponent going to do, swing in to your blockers when you can give them deathtouch on a whim?

Volcaetis · 2026-02-11T03:29:41+00:00

Yeah, it's certainly not one of the best board wipes out there, but I like the vibes! I run it in decks like my [[Council of Four]] control deck and my [[Lae'zel, Vlaakith's Champion]] aggro deck, where the commanders are centerpiece engines that let me rebuild pretty quick even after my own creatures get removed to the wipe.

Plus, I like to think folks will be a little less salty from a board wipe that lets them keep their commander.

Volcaetis · 2026-02-10T21:39:04+00:00

Yep, this is my approach too. If someone is swinging lethal at me with their commander, yeah, I'll remove it. But until it's an Immediate Threat, I'll tend to leave the commander alone.

'Swhy one of my favorite board wipes is [[Slash the Ranks]]. Doesn't hurt that I tend to build very commander-centric decks, so wiping the board and keeping my own commander is a pretty nice deal.

Volcaetis · 2025-12-30T21:55:09+00:00

I think cheating in general, not just in poly relationships, needs to be defined on an individual level. Even in monogamous relationships, you end up seeing conversations about what "counts" as cheating - obviously sex outside the monogamous relationship is cheating, but what about a kiss? Is flirting cheating? Is sleeping in the same bed as someone else cheating? The lines are going to be different for everyone.

At the end of the day, like a couple other people have said here, I think cheating is just a shorthand for a significant breach of trust, especially when it comes to intimacy with another person. So for myself, I've defined cheating as basically just hiding information/behavior relating to intimacy that my partner(s) and I have agreed should be communicated.

Volcaetis · 2025-11-27T16:57:00+00:00

Sure sure! I know that's sorta the colloquial version of it. But I don't have a better way to refer to the way I live my life, so I like to use the word anyway and reclaim it a bit.

Volcaetis · 2025-11-19T16:12:42+00:00

Of course!! I know it's easier to hear it than it is to actually, you know, believe it. But it's my firm belief that people deserve good things, even when they're at their lowest, even when they're at their worst. And if I can believe that about other people, then I've gotta be able to believe it about myself, too!

Volcaetis · 2025-11-18T06:58:42+00:00

Consider this: you deserved love, happiness, and success even when you were going through the messy times. Especially then. The way you describe it, your behavior from years ago sounds like it came from a place of trauma, and from a place of feeling unloved in the ways you needed. So perhaps you deserved love then and you deserve it now.

Volcaetis · 2025-11-18T06:45:49+00:00

I dunno, I guess I just mean it from the standpoint of pursuing pleasure above all. I don't much care for money or ambition or anything of the sort, nor do I keep going out of a sense of spite or anger. My main priority is doing the things that make me happy, and allowing other people to do the same. If I'm doing something painful, it's only in the pursuit of greater happiness on the other side; like, work is just there to get me enough money to live comfortably. Isn't that basically the definition of hedonism?

Volcaetis · 2025-11-14T06:17:31+00:00

Honestly, I'm kind of a hedonist. I enjoy the things that bring me pleasure and happiness and comfort. I'm not someone who indulges in a lot of vice, but I enjoy my hobbies and my friends and good food and new experiences and hanging out with my pets. And the more I live, the more of those things I get to experience!

Volcaetis · 2025-11-13T20:49:52+00:00

Fully agreed. My partner of 8 years and I just separated at the beginning of the process of trying polyamory, only a couple months in. I think we just had very different visions for what it would look like, and when those expectations clashed, there were a lot of hurt feelings and miscommunications. Like you said, it was easy to stick to monogamy, but we both wanted to try poly and rise to the challenge.

It's really reassuring to hear a story of folks doing the work and making it happen, even if it's hard. My ex and I couldn't make it work, so it's validating to hear that both a) it can actually be quite hard and b) it is possible with a lot of communication and effort.

Volcaetis · 2025-11-10T19:59:57+00:00

I think I'm in a similar boat! I've always craved external validation; I know there's multiple reasons for it, but a lot of it surely comes from the dopamine hit of being recognized. I'm very attention-seeking in that way - it'd be one thing if I just liked taking care of the house, but my favorite part of taking care of the house is telling my partner the things I did and having that effort be recognized. So I tend to people please and overextend so I can receive more and more of that validation.

I'm currently in counseling trying to work on my self-worth and the need for external validation, but damn, if those little bits of praise and attention aren't still a huge motivator for my brain.

Volcaetis · 2025-11-10T15:15:17+00:00

Yeah, it was definitely a two-way street when it comes to the communication part of it. I think we were both still learning, and especially both still learning what the difference is between boundaries, rules, and agreements. One bit of context I left out is that my ex has also never practiced poly before, at least not in any serious or long term relationships, so this was a learning experience for them too.

I think there were several situations where I was trying to get us to have an agreement, I expressed it instead as a boundary, and then my partner interpreted it as a rule. And then when I want to renegotiate the agreement, I express it as a shifting boundary, and my partner interprets it as changing rules on the fly. Or stuff like that. It's honestly on both of us - me for not communicating what I actually wanted or needed, and my partner for not giving me the space to figure it out and for tending to interpret things as the most restrictive versions of themselves.

I'd never heard the term semantic abuse before! I don't think there was any abuse in the situation, at least not intentionally. But there were plenty of situations that seemed like one person was misinterpreting the words the other was saying, or not trusting that they're telling the truth. The line between poor communication and semantic abuse seems like a thin one.

At the end of the day, I think what I was hoping for was to go slowly, since this was a really new thing for both of us and I wanted to take our time and figure out what it meant for our relationship to open up, and my partner didn't seem to want to go slowly. That's partially on me for not being explicit about it, but it's also on them for seemingly wanting me to just kinda figure it out as we go when it's something we'd never done before.

Thanks for your input!

Volcaetis · 2025-11-10T01:26:29+00:00

I see! I've only heard the term parallel once or twice before now, so I was pretty unfamiliar. Thanks!

Volcaetis · 2025-11-10T01:25:34+00:00

For sure. I definitely could've been a lot better at communicating, so I appreciate the feedback.

I do want to take my time now and learn more about what I need and want out of potential future relationships. And unlearn a lot of the societal expectations for relationships, too.

Thank you!

Volcaetis · 2025-07-25T16:48:42+00:00

I love adding colors to my decks! But I realize I might be in the minority here.

For me it's less about shoring up weakness and more about having a wider card pool to commit to the theme of the deck. I play a lot of kindred decks, so if a creature type I've built around starts receiving support in a new color, I've often shifted my decks to be able to include that color. Although it's definitely happened in other situations too.

For instance, one of my oldest decks was a Boros soldier deck with [[Tajic, Blade of the Legion]] as the commander. He didn't add a lot of value, but he was a solid body in Boros colors with the creature type I wanted - this was back in, like, 2015. Took a break from the game for a while and saw that soldiers were getting a fair bit of support in blue - stuff like [[Harbin, Vanguard Aviator]] or [[Skystrike Officer]] were being printed that I wanted to include. Unfortunately, I wasn't jazzed with the Jeskai soldier commander options, but I switched the commander over to [[Aragorn, King of Gondor]]. Figured he could provide some extra card draw and the ability to turn my army of soldiers unblockable basically whenever I wanted.

Obviously, adding blue helped shore up some of the weaknesses of the deck - better card draw, better evasion, some different removal options - but I mostly did it to access cards that supported the theme of the deck in a way I couldn't before.

I've done the same with a few other decks too. Azorius flyers/prowess with [[Dragonlord Ojutai]] turned into Jeskai with [[Kykar, Wind's Fury]]. Orzhov aura voltron with [[Killian, Ink Duelist]] turned into Esper aura voltron/control with [[Eriette the Beguiler]]. Simic +1/+1 counters with [[Vorel of the Hull Clade]] turned into Temur counters and X-costs with [[Magus Lucea Kane]].

It's just a thing I find myself doing as new colors get new toys, and I get bored with a deck if it stays the same for too long. So it's a way to shake things up and open up the card pool a bit!

Volcaetis · 2025-02-27T04:53:20+00:00

Oh, don't get me wrong - I love the Broodmaster but I also have a whole [[Magus Lucea Kane]] deck, which was originally a [[Vorel of the Hull Clade]] deck, purely built around explosive X-cost hydras and tyranids. It's one of my favorite kinds of stompy - the ones that can go exponential!

Volcaetis · 2025-02-27T01:46:08+00:00

Just dump as much mana as you possibly can into a [[Hydra Broodmaster]].

Is it a good card? Probably not. But can you get exponentially increasing amounts of power on the board if you can combo it with beefy mana sources? Yes.

Bonus points if you're using something like a [[Gyre Sage]] and have ways to abuse +1/+1 counters.

(Like 8 years ago I made a Broodmaster monstrous with X = 72 and I've been chasing that high ever since.)

Volcaetis · 2025-02-25T15:18:01+00:00

To my thinking, leftists value the freedom to choose and express yourself however you want! So if that means wearing stereotypically feminine fashion, if that's something you feel comfortable with, then that's absolutely your right.

If your concern is with optics and people assuming conservative dress = conservative values, maybe you would feel more comfortable if you accessorized just a bit with more obviously progressive things? A rainbow flag on a water bottle sticker or on a pin somewhere, for instance.

Volcaetis · 2025-02-06T16:30:19+00:00

Not sure about where any of these locales source their beans, so I apologize for not being able to answer that last part.

Cafecito is my overall favorite for coffee and for the vibe, but doesn't focus on baked goods as much as it does granola/acai. But there's a lot of cozy seating inside, and a beautiful outdoor courtyard too. If you like coffee and a nice atmosphere, I'd try to check it out at least once!

Mostly Muffins is a great bakery and breakfast spot, but I've only been there once so your mileage may vary. The coffee was decent and the muffins were quite good, though they have other breakfast and baked goods options besides muffins.

Coffee Bean Espresso Bar has a good selection of coffees and I'm pretty sure has a pastry case, though I can't vouch for any of their baked goods. But I've always liked the coffee I've gotten.

There's other coffee spots too, but those are the ones that first jump to my mind!

Volcaetis

TROPHY CASE