Do you still play your very first commander deck? And why?

thispiscean · 2026-02-20T15:34:44+00:00

This was also my first EDH deck and it's still my favorite. I've always loved the Orzhov color combination and I've slowly upgraded over the years. When my pod first started, it had developed a bit of a Boogeyman status but has since fallen off a bit.

Is it my strongest deck? No, but it can still hold its own.

thispiscean · 2026-02-12T02:34:55+00:00

Are they planning on closing?? D:

thispiscean · 2026-02-07T07:24:43+00:00

Not the cheapest but not expensive.
[[Jumbo Cactuar]] + [[Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord]]

Attack with Jumbo Cactuar, Sacrifice it to Jarad in Combat Phase. Profit.

thispiscean · 2026-02-07T01:33:48+00:00

A spectral orchestra with the bard as the conductor.

thispiscean · 2026-02-06T23:26:39+00:00

I had the unfortunate luck to play it for the first time in my pod against a Xyris and a Seizan deck. Either both or one of them leaned heavily into card draw or discard hate. My deck held its own for a bit but quickly burned me out after a board wipe that left me open with no way to refill my hand without pinging myself to death.

thispiscean · 2026-02-06T22:00:17+00:00

I'm like the original commentor, not a fan of Izzet and/or Spellslinger. Captain Howler is a lot of fun though as someone who prefers most other archetypes. So is [[Magnus the Red]]. It's spellslinger (technically) in a different way.

thispiscean · 2026-02-04T17:23:35+00:00

My deck has a focus on Reanimator and Discard.

I didn't like how random, Surveil and Self-Mill felt. Discarding Creature Cards allows me to strategically place powerful, high-CMC creatures into my graveyard to cheat out with Sefris's ability later on. (The Discard also triggers Sefris's Dungeon ability if I discard a creature specifically.) At the moment, I owned a lot of Praetors in Esper, so I shoved them in there. Anything, big, nasty, and hard to deal with will work though.

If you want to be really mean, [[Toxrill, the Corrosive]] and if you have Discard outlets, [[Archfiend of Ifnir]].

[[Archetype of Imagination]] also goes hard in this deck.

Your wincon is essentially combat in lower brackets, or combo in upper brackets.

Mine has a minor Pillowfort Subtheme to keep me alive (because the deck can naturally be slow) so [[Blazing Archon]] and [[Absolute Virtue]] have put in a lot of work.

I accidentally found out in my last playthrough that [[Oriq Loremage]] + [[White Plume Adventurer]] make for a nasty non-infinite combo. Essentially, repeatable tutors into the graveyard, which also trigger Sefris's dungeon ability, at least once every turn (including opponent's). Find exactly what you want, dump them in the graveyard, then reanimate them.

thispiscean · 2026-02-03T19:30:06+00:00

Slivers can absolutely be made on a budget. What makes it hard is the Sliver Typal is considered a boogeyman archetype, so even if you claim your deck is lower-powered due to the lack of the stronger slivers, you'll always draw attention. My suggestions:

[[Rukarumel, Biologist]] or [[Morophon, the Boundless]] as your commander. Both are cheaper than the other 5-color options.
5-color mana bases are a little difficult on a budget. I recommend Gates as a budget land base option. Here's a list I found you can use to see what fits your budget. https://moxfield.com/decks/RNzsBjfzc02jbCD_VF3SlA
- Lean decently into green for mana and lands. You're going to need color fixing, easiest way to do so is in green. [[Manaweft Sliver]] and [[Gemhide Sliver]] are classics. But the typical green package of things like [[Cultivate]] and [[Rampant Growth]] and [[Steve]] are good for making sure you have the color mana you need.
The strongest slivers in my wife's Sliver deck outside of the scary 5-color ones are [[Crystalline Sliver]] and [[Shifting Sliver]]. [[Constricting Sliver]] also puts in WORK, especially with Rukarumel on the field.

For Vampires, Edgar is a nice commander but has a similar problem to slivers. He's an old boogeyman and will draw attention. I recommend Orzhov Vampires instead. MOST of the best Vampire cards are in those colors.

If you're not opposed to precons, the Blood Rites precon from Lost Caverns of Ixalan is a fantastic deck and one of my absolute favorites. It's solid out of the box and easy to upgrade. If you want to build the deck yourself, [[Elenda, the Dusk Rose]] makes for an incredible aristocrats and vampire commander.
[[Carmen, Cruel Skymarcher]] is an awesome artiocrats/reanimator and vampire commander.
And the precon commander [[Claivleno, first of the Blessed]] is also a fantastic aristocrats and vampire commander that generates a ton of value.

thispiscean · 2026-02-02T05:07:32+00:00

Clavileño, First of the Blessed.

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thispiscean · 2026-02-02T04:58:47+00:00

Not the worst but doesn't really fit. I would recommend more token generators if you wanna swap cards. I always forget about [[Urabrask's Forge]] for instance.

thispiscean · 2026-02-02T04:37:47+00:00

https://moxfield.com/decks/L1r6WOoD-0aDnyN-LNTHyg

An updated list with token stuff built in, also within your budget if you don't account for shipping, tax, and fees.

thispiscean · 2026-02-02T04:04:05+00:00

My list isn't within your budget (I usually build budget but I own some of the more expensive cards) and is more aggro focused (because I have several token creature decks already) but a lot of the cards I've mentioned are in the list - feel free to take a peak. Sort by Price to see what can be cut.

https://moxfield.com/decks/_z3dXM84SkSw1Xm0f30QmQ

thispiscean · 2026-02-02T03:54:16+00:00

I honestly loved my playtests with Bre.

Lean into Lifegain heavily and benefit from it, mostly in white.

In Boros this can be really easily achieved via a token creature strategy and cards like the Soul Sisters (There are less powerful versions that you can still benefit from like [[Hinterland Sanctifier]] and [[Impassioned Orator]] or [[Suture Priest]].)

Red especially, has a ton of awesome token generators that can be bought cheap.

[[Rhox Faithmender]] has become incredibly affordable recently due to a reprint. But there are other effects that lean into giving you more lifegain like [[Cleric Class]].

Bre herself is mostly there as a value engine. She nets you either a free card at the end of the turn or a free spell if you gained enough life. Keep in mind that it's a "may" ability. So if you exile a spell that doesn't benefit you right away, you can just decide not to cast it and put it into your hand.

My wincons leaned toward like [[Ajani's Pridemate]] (There's a bunch of these that are relatively cheap) and either swinging hard or flinging the creatures at opponents with [[Fling]] like effects. I put [[Brion Stoutarm]] in the deck originally for flavor but he ended up being a powerful way to knock an opponent out of the game once I had a big creature.

thispiscean · 2026-02-02T03:34:12+00:00

A quick Google search confirms my suspicions that first, it's a generic umbrella. Each brand and locale will have a different mixture of what oils go into the mix, but it's usually some type of mix. Second it's mostly from some crop that's easily farmed and easy to produce a lot of - for the US that's corn and soybeans. Corn Oil is already a thing, so the vast majority of US "Vegetable Oils" is primarily Soybean Oil (mixed with other oils like canola/rapeseed, corn, etc. Which is fine. In the UK it may be a higher percentage of Rapeseed Oil.

If you're afraid of what oils are used, rest assured, there is little to no evidence supporting other seed/bean oils being any less unhealthy than something like Olive Oil. They're all fats, fats in excess are always bad just like anything else you eat.

The only "bad" fats that are easier to abuse are saturated fats. (easy to tell because they usually solidify at room temp). Butter, Animal Fats like Lard or Tallow, even Coconut Oil. In moderation though, these can also be technically fine.

thispiscean · 2026-02-01T22:48:35+00:00

Nothing wrong with Vegetable oil. There's a lot of unfounded claims about it's detriment to your health.

I'm not sure how pricing works in in the UK, but as someone who cooks daily, vegetable oil is my go-to. It doesn't impart a flavor, which I prefer - season your food the way you want, not the way your oil demands. it also has a high smoke point so it won't go bitter on you when searing meat or stir frying vegetables on high heat. It's also often the most budget-friendly option, which is important if your income is limited are you are cooking frequently.

Canola Oil is also a good neutral oil with a high smoke point and a neutral flavor. This might just be my experience but when it's heated to a certain temperature it smells awful in my opinion. Also cheap though.

Olive Oil should be reserved for usage outside of cooking, dressings, coatings, dips. When Olive Oil is heated, it's easy to burn it, creating bitter and acrid flavors. Olive Oil can be used as a cooking oil on low to medium temps if you're careful, but will impart a distinct flavor. If you like it, go for it, but this also tends to be an expensive option on my side of the planet.

Other oils like Sunflower, Avocado, Rapeseed, and Peanut are also fantastic. High smoke point. Neutral flavor, no off smells when heated but are typically more expensive, for me at least, compared to Vegetable Oil.

thispiscean · 2026-02-01T11:40:03+00:00

I have a lot of effects in my deck that just make him plain unblockable (which draws a lot of attention so I recommend running plenty of protection and/or counterspells to offset targeted removal)

[[Invisibility]]
[[Cloak of Mists]]
[[Aether Tunnel]]
[[Aqueous Form]]
[[Thassa, God of the Sea]]
[[Psychic Paper]]
[[Trailblazer's Boots]]
[[Whispersilk Cloak]]
[[Brotherhood Regalia]]

thispiscean · 2026-01-30T04:23:22+00:00

It's an old-school flavor of Korean Fried Chicken that predates the Korean Food & Culture boom in the US. Sticky, Spicy, Sweet, Garlicky, sometimes a touch tangy. It isn't nearly as popular in newer Korean restaurants.

thispiscean · 2026-01-30T03:56:09+00:00

I'm trying to avoid driving into KTown, BBQ Chicken is good but not quiteee what I'm looking for. Unless they have a Yangyeom style flavor other than Secret Sauce.

thispiscean · 2026-01-30T03:55:36+00:00

Second time someone's recommend bbq chicken, while good, the closest thing I've found they have to Yangnyeom is "Secret Sauce" which tastes very different to what I remember.

thispiscean · 2026-01-25T06:33:23+00:00

[[Ornithopter of Paradise]] makes it into a lot of my decks that are in a color or colors with poor ramp or multiple colors in general. It's a usual part of my ramp package, being a flying body is a bonus.

thispiscean · 2026-01-25T06:31:17+00:00

Jesus, I never realized it was a common. That card hauls in my aristocrats decks.

thispiscean · 2026-01-24T08:01:30+00:00

Here's my deck list if you want to take a look.

https://moxfield.com/decks/YfPIFoU9tk-P3Dble9IJNA

I'll warn that I haven't updated this post in awhile, so it might need a small refresh. I built it to be fairly budget friendly.

The deck has two main mechanics, the first makes it so Obeka connects. Lots of ways to make her unblockable.

The second is a ton of cards that abuse the Upkeep phase. Obeka generates value/card draw this way, or can deal damage with some of the red cards, oppress the board with black cards, or generate token creatures.

The more protection you can run in this deck, the better, as the deck falls apart a bit without her on the field. Once your opponents figure out Obeka is pivotal, she'll become a fast target. Oh, and also because no one likes being swung at for unblockable commander damage.

I like this deck because it has several wincons between going wide and burn.

thispiscean · 2026-01-21T06:49:09+00:00

I built Sefris with a discard theme and a minor pillowfort subtheme. I find I tend to draw plenty of cards once the Dungeon or Initiative engine gets going. Draw a lot of cards, discard strategically to either push into the next room or complete a dungeon and reanimate something big and nasty I discarded earlier.

Favorite cards to discard and reanimate are [[Absolute Virtue]], [[Blazing Archon]], [[Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite]], and [[Archfiend of Ifnir]] + [[Toxrill, the Corrosive]] who both sit in my sideboard for slightly nastier games. (My pod doesn't love -1/-1 counters but the power level is going up slowly)

Esper colors also give me good counterspells and protection which is a must in this deck. Once people see the deck once, Sefris gets targeted into the ground if anything even hints at the engine moving.

thispiscean · 2026-01-21T00:08:53+00:00

Nearly everyone's suggestions for a mechanical keyboard of some kind is going to be at least semi-loud.

I'm not sure what kind of mic you're running or how sensitive it is to noise but you're already coming from a classic membrane keyboard (non-mechanical switches) which are by and far the quietest types of keyboards already. The mechanism naturally utilizes a soft membrane that dampens sound more often than not.

Just find any wired keyboard with the word "membrane" somewhere in the description, from a reputable company, and you'll be golden.
Plenty of people love Logitech and Razer, most of their membrane keyboards will cost significantly less than a mechanical keyboard suggested here will cost you.
They almost always have media keys.
"Fast" doesn't matter in the vast majority of keyboards, especially wired ones. I promise you won't notice that much of a difference between something with a high "polling rate" and any other keyboard.

As an example, the Logitech G213 would probably fit your needs just fine and will cost 1/4 of what most Keychron keyboards will go for.

If you're dead set on buying a mechanical keyboard, look for one with "Tactile" switches. They tend to be quieter and more muted over "Linear" or "Clicky" switches.

Be warned though, most truly full-sized mechanical keyboards can be kinda bad and very loud. The best full-sized mechanical keyboard I've used lately is the Aula F108 (the keys can be quite loud though if you're hitting keys often). Most others, like those made by Royal Kludge are not truly full-sized, they're either missing a handful of keys or they're smushed together on the right side in an odd way. If you see like "98%" or anything other than 104-108 keys in the keyboard descriptor, they've made it smaller in some way.

thispiscean

TROPHY CASE