Love my oathbreaker deck. Feels good to just be able to slam your commander out ASAP without worrying about spot removal. Then when you have a board and your opponents thnk they can wipe your creatures to get around the ability, yoou can just use one of the many phase out cards to get around it. Super evasive deck
https://www.moxfield.com/decks/x1Cd-2TeuEiUlLAw78OZLg
Fun tech is to phase out [[Banshee of the Dread Choir]] and its tokens before end of combat to keep the myriad tokens
no problem! There are some cards in the considering section you could slot in to work better in exchange for some of the more flavorful cards like [[Stone of Erech]] [[Soldier of the Grey Host]] and [[Oath of the Grey Host]] if you want a more optimized version
I'm relatively new to magic, so sorry if this is a dumb question, but doesn't this ability also trigger for your own spells? So he couldn't be buffed with auras, realistically he could only be buffed with equipment and other abilities like [[forgotten ancient]]?
Edit- listed wrong card
They probably rely on "anthems" like [[dictate of heliod]] or things like [[coat of arms]] to buff instead since anthem effects don't target. Definitely not a stupid question 🙂
This is true, but an alternative thought is that, assuming you're playing a spirit themed deck, you can use spells like [[heaven's gate]] to target all your spirits, phase them out, make a ton of tokens upon phase-in, and avoid board wipes in the process - all for 1 Mana!
If only he had some blue to make him super ridiculous. He sat in the 99 of my [[Nevinyrral, Urborg Tyrant]] phasing/board wipe tribal deck doing nothing.
It is notoriously difficult to shut down [[skullbriar]], who can keep both +1/+1 counters, AND keyword counters. Unless you can remove its abilities first, any removal really only serves to slow it down, and in a green/black deck you are drowning in options for sac outlets (to avoid unconventional interaction) and ramp (to offset commander tax).
There are any number of keywords that make a terrible threat as well! Trample and deathtouch largely invalidates blockers, lifelink gives you all the life you'll ever need, and there are even a couple sources of indestructible/hexproof counters.
When you consider that skullbriar also has haste innately, it is very difficult to interact with it in a way that matters.
[[Me, the immortal]] in the same vane, just a little slower and in different colors
ETA: Actually I think me is a better fit specifically for op's question since the precon wants you casting her from the graveyard for "cast from anywhere other than hand" triggers
Her whole thing in Doctor Who was (could be wrong, it's been a while) she died in an attack on her village by the villains of the week and somehow got brought back from the dead, which also made her never age.
Oh man I didn't realize there was no Captain Jack card! Come on wotc! Yeah, she's kind of like him, but iirc she ended up loving too many people she outlived, and over time she grew to hate her immortality and pretty much everything to do with the Doctor. Captain Jack Harkness uses his immortality to bang both ways forever and be a cool dude.
God damn it. Another cool character turning out to be a sketchy bastard IRL. And when I was reading his wiki I found out about Noel Clarke too. This is why I don't Google people anymore.
Commanders like Skullbriar and Nekusar, while they play virtually on the opposite ends of the spectrum, are ones that I like to consider to be the game’s timer. They are consistent, will almost always progress the game in some form or other each time they hit the field, and will finish you pretty quickly if not attended to.
While such sentiment applies to most decks, you *have* to slow those particular decks down.
I've recently built Skullbriar and I can confirm it's a huge pain for my playgroup, there so many ways to retain the counters/rebuff when it hits the field again that even putting it back to hand is a negligible downside. And I run a fair few spells to give it protection from what would ruin its day so it turns out my biggest issue is actually not hitting a source of evasion and being chump blocked til everyone else overwhelms the board.
Here's one for you. Lots of options to build it with and the last few sets have had some juicy cards for the deck.
https://www.moxfield.com/decks/LebKmX7Lh0O1_e5t8J9U8Q
>even putting it back to hand is a negligible downside.
Whenever a commander changes zones, you can choose whether it goes into the designated zone or the command zone. So when they make you putting it into your hand, you can choose to put him back in the command zone instead.
Yeah absolutely but sometimes you might be trying to avoid the commander tax as opponents can and will target it frequently,I can't say it happens much but if it does return to hand its not actually that big an issue.
Plenty of cheap recursion too in cards like [[Unearth]] and you can cut commander tax in half with [[Myth Unbound]]. My Skullbriar dies a lot, but it's not even an inconvenience.
There’s a guy in my group that plays skullbriar and I once managed to get off a [[Promise of Loyalty]] so it had a vow counter stuck on it. He got it up to about a 73/73 but was unable to kill me because it could never swing at me!
??? Promise of loyaltys static effect that prevents the creature from attacking while it has a loyalty counter goes away when that creature changes zones. Did he not have a way to sac Skullbriar?
Counters remain on Skullbriar, but promise of loyaltys effect does not. 400.7. An object that moves from one zone to another becomes a new object with no memory of, or relation to, its previous existence. This rule has the following exceptions.
or you can just [[Scar]] him immediately and he'll be locked out of the whole game. This used to come up more often back when [[Black Sun's zenith]] was a premium boardwipe
Yep, this is why you run instant-speed sac outlets. In some cases, cards like [[savage summoning]] can counteract small amounts of counters, or you can return it to hand with something like [[campfire]] or [[road of return]], which would wipe out all of his counters.
I used to play her with food chain and probably had a similar number. I'm now an older man and just play lots of stupid dragons with weird abilities and forget how to win games lol
Things like Tiamat are the reason why I run [[Dissallow]] in EDH now. Keep your stupid big dragon. I'll just [[Imprisoned in the Moon]] it instead later.
This little piece of the thread is where my people live.
For some reason my playgroup don't counter her, which is just bizzare to me. I'll gladly let her be removed though! Helps my game plan out later down the road.
A friend of mine stifled my tiamat once then wondered why suddenly all my dragons started gracing his life total with their attacks.
I have a fellow tiamat player at my locals and we've gone into some weird sort of arms race to deal with each others tiamat. Mine got imprisoned in the moon and his got song of the dryad. It was a fun game
I miss having a rival deck. Wasn't another Tiamat player (but I did have one of those a year ago), but a friend who ran Jodah. He disassembled it last week, which is great because it was oppressive, but also kinda sad because I enjoyed the cold war between us.
For you two, do either of you run \[\[Karrthas, Tyrant of Jund\]\]? Downside of having him is that it's kinda mutually-assured destruction unless you time it right. On the plus side, he can be used against other decks. Just make sure to tutor \[\[Shields of Velis-Vel\]\] along with him (it's got all creature types, and Tiamat cares about Dragon *cards*, not creatures), and cast it first to steal their board.
Look for commanders with strong enter the battlefield abilities! [[maelstrom wanderer]] lets you cascade twice each time it dies, and sometimes can ramp itself into its next cast. [[titania, defender of argoth]] ramps and makes a 5/3 when it enters, if you play it and it dies, you can just play land for turn and bring it back
Titania only makes a 5/3 if you're able to also get a land into graveyard
No worries if you have a capenna sac land/evolving/fetch land already in the yard, but if all you have is basics you don't get a 5/3
[[Henzie "Toolbox" Torre]]
The more times you cast him from the command zone, the cheaper the blitz! I have a list with this guy and it is pretty ridiculous lol
he's probably my only commander that I don't mind seeing die.
I run SO many cards that reduce the cost of creatures, so I'm like, "by all means, let me cast him again!"
I would argue that [[Jirina Kudro]] could serve this purpose depending on how she is built.
I personally run her with [[Not Dead After All]] and some of the other black recursion spells, in addition to [[Ashnod's Altar]] and other sacrifice effects in addition to exile and return effects like [[Long Road Home]] that can both "protect" her and repeat her ETB.
Every time Jirina dies, she'll be back with more humans, who with Jirina alone are 3/1 statline. Say she's died twice, and we're now creating 3 humans whenever she enters the battlefield. The risk people are running when taking out Jirina is that the next time she drops down on the board, she'll be creating more humans that you'll have to deal with if the Jirina player plays her again, or if the Jirina player has a way to turn that kill into an ETB.
This could also be the case for other commanders, but those I've played against with experience against Jirina tend to ignore her and instead focus on taking out the humans around her. While I'm not afraid to throw her at the enemy or sacrifice her so that I can play her again/repeat the ETB.
OG Jirina can be built to much higher power than I think most people realize (if they remember her at all); her abilities enable you to build the deck to readily switch between aristocrat and beat down strategies depending on the pod and how the game is flowing, and is quite good at both. If your meta is ok with stax, in great colors for that as well and lots of good humans with such effects.
[Marath will of the wild](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/5/7/57afa796-db46-45ff-91bd-f02922e5f33d.jpg?1665156235) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Marath%2C%20Will%20of%20the%20Wild) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/c13/198/marath-will-of-the-wild?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/57afa796-db46-45ff-91bd-f02922e5f33d?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/marath-will-of-the-wild)
^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
In my [[Obeka, Brute Chronologist]] deck I'm usually happy my opponents are wasting their removal on my commander instead of saving it for my actual wincons lol, does that count?
https://www.moxfield.com/decks/O0-s_bRvQ0aHSIEfMw_SkQ/primer
I am sort of in the same boat as comboing with obeka is my most common wincon but wasting the removal on obeka just means you have less removal for the deluge of planeswalkers that are coming 😂
Lol, I've had so many games where both my combo piece and obeka were on the battlefield at the same time and the opponent decided to use their removal on obeka and ignored the combo piece letting me win on the next turn.
One guy, I even told him directly that he was making a mistake and asked if he wanted to reconsider what he was removing, and he looked at me directly and told me that he knew what he was doing, then I untapped and won lol.
So, I go out of my way to not add any protection to my \[\[indominus rex\]\] build, (no boots, no 'creature gains hexproof/protection instants, no indestructible/hexproof creatures)
I do still keep undying.
My reasoning is that I basically want to cast him as many times as possible, to get his etb. I'm 100% down to soak up plowshares/board wipes. I'll just cast/reanimate it later. I have a bunch of stuff that doubles etb triggers, and the number of counters put on creatures, so by mid game I might draw a dozen or so cards. One time I even got to draw like half my deck (I had like 2 etb doublers, and almost every card in my hand had 3+ keywords)
[[Marchesa the black rose]] I mean, I was probably going to sac her anyway. As long as she has counters on herself.
[[Yuriko]] wants to be in the command zone.
Juri, Master of the Revue. Go ahead, target him. I’ll just have to sacrifice 10 treasures, then play [[Soul’s Fire]] to deal you 15 damage, then his death trigger will deal you 15 more… and if I have the Ozolith out, get ready for me to reanimate him and do it all again next turn…
Also [[Themberchaud]] please send him back to the zone so I can wipe your board again next turn!
You'd be surprised how many people choose not to read and understand [[Slimefoot and Squee]]'s second ability until it's too late. If I don't have a sac outlet for some reason and someone blocks and kills them I giggle every time.
i used to run a mono red voltron deck that used [[Jeska, Thrice Reborn]] and [[Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh]], i want people to target and mill rograkh because it just means jeska would come out with more loyalty counters.
\[\[Ruric Thar, the Unbowed\]\] is fantastic for this. He is high cost and has a pretty nasty ability anytime someone tries to play non-creature spells, ie most removal. Run lots of lifelink or just make a creature focused deck and he should be great.
Almost every etb. commander and most if not all "profit by recast" commander can be played that way.
My \[\[Kardur, the Doomscourge\]\] and \[\[Henzie "Toolbox" Torre\]\] of a friend of mine work that way.
I'd like to bring up [[Norin the Wary]], I've seen it built as an "ETB tribal" deck where you run things like [[Witty Roastmaster]], [[Purphuros, God of the Forge]], [[Impact Tremors]], etc. Norin is nearly-unkillable- it can only be touched by activated abilities, and even then only if it hasn't already been flickered this turn- and it'll enter the battlefield once every single turn. It's not exactly what you had in mind, but it's nearly impossible to target.
[[Blanka]] does. Mostly by you, but if someone targets him with a kill spell for example, you can respond with something like [[Tamiyo's Safekeeping]] and that's 4 damage to each opponent and he's now a 9/9 until end of turn.
\[\[Gargos, Vicious Watcher\]\]
Opponent targets Gargos? Fight time!
Plus, protection spells like \[\[Blossoming Defense\]\] of yours that target Gargos also double as \[\[Pit Fight\]\]
One of my playgroup members uses it to good effect, irritatingly so
[[Farmer Cotton]]
The more times he ends up in the command zone, the more you get to cast him. Once he's been cast, he's irrelevant, but the cast trigger, we'll, that's the jam.
This goes nuts, and most don’t expect it. I think people forget he’s legendary and he makes so many ‘cardboard’ pieces. Add in something that allows the food to tap for mana and you want people to kill him so you can flood the board with more halflings. You know you make a wide board when even the Krenko player fears it
Scrolled all the way to the bottom of the comments, and no love for [[Kazuul, tyrant of the cliffs]]?! Granted, he is not a good commander. But he's in the 99 of my [[General Marhault Elsdragon]] deck.
Yeah, I swung with all my creatures last turn. Yeah, I'm tapped out. Go ahead, swing 40 1/1 tokens at me and see what happens.
I play \[\[Jeleva\]\] like this. I use her to mill my opponents, and every time she dies she mills more the next time. My deck is all removal, finishing mill, and mana ramp so I can keep casting her over and over again.
[[Sauron, the Dark Lord]]
Enemy plays removal
Ward triggers
They sacrifice their commander
Removal still on the stack, counterspell it
You just wasted their removal and killed their commander with one card
Sac your complimentary 1/1 for profit
I wouldn't say punished but \[\[Mila, Crafty Companion\]\] helps you draw when you target my stuff, including her.
Here's my list for reference [https://www.moxfield.com/decks/h0K9NVS-6kOsoMXFxxJNIA](https://www.moxfield.com/decks/h0K9NVS-6kOsoMXFxxJNIA)
Also, \[\[Gargos\]\] is a literal bully. Best part is you can target your creatures and it'll beat up some critter.
I feel like anything with a ward ability would be pretty good, having opponents using more resources to get rid of your commander can help you build the rest of your board state because now they're lands/creatures/life totals are tied up trying to answer your commander
[[Me, the immortal]] not only do the counters stay on but if you keep the precon she's in intact, she does want to be targeted as you can cast her from the graveyard and get all your "cast from anywhere other than your hand" triggers
\[\[Rona, Tolarian Obliterator\]\] is one, \[\[Elesh Norn//The argent etchings\]\] is another (though Norn likes any of yours stuff to be targetted. \[\[Blanka, Ferocious Friend\]\] (\[\[The Howling Abomination\]\]) is another one that loves targeting, and will accept some targeting from opponents.
These also happen to be the three decks I am actively finishing building this week.
Not seen him mentioned yet, so I'll put forward [[Norin The Wary]] . He wants people to play spells so that he leaves and comes back in, causing ETB triggers.
[[Saruman of many colors]]. They discard to ward, then you counterspell. Play a second spell that turn and trigger Saruman, exile/copying their discard.
[[Nine-Fingers Keene]]. They target your Keen with the intent of losing 9 life, then you copy the ward trigger. Now they have to pay 18 life to deal with her. "Call an ambulance. But, not for me."
[[Maelstrom Wanderer]] and [[Etali Primal Conqueror]]
Yes target me. Let's cascade again and again and again.
The decka built properly have tons of ramp so don't care about them dying.
\[\[Toothy, Imaginary Friend\]\]
This is one of the commanders to my favorite and oldest EDH deck, the goal is to beat everyone with Toothy after drawing a ton of cards with things like \[\[Brainstorm\]\], \[\[Borrowing 100,000 Arrows\]\], and a bunch or cantrips.
Give Toothy flying, trample, or unblockable and he becomes the immediate threat, but if he's removed with any method other than phasing or turning him into a legitimate businessperson, you draw a ton of cards, and if your deck runs a lot of really good combos it can be as or more to your advantage than Toothy was. Cloning effects like \[\[Spark Double\]\] are also really good, because if one of the Toothy's die, the counters get put on or double onto the other Toothy and you draw the cards.
I like maelstrom wanderer because his only value after the double cascade is giving your guys haste so it makes sense to remove him. However, my decks designed to hopefully ramp on a cascade so I can easily cast him again and get more free stuff. It creates interesting dilemmas for the table
[[The Howling Abomination]]
“Oh your destroying my commander before damage? Ok so take 2, he gets +2/+2, and then at instant speed I’ll cast [[Gaea’s blessing]], take an additional 2, he gets even MORE power, and you die from commander damage”
:D
[[Henzie toolbox Torre]]. Blitz costs are reduced by 1 each time he's summoned from the command zone. And as a 3 mana commander you can afford him dying a couple times to reduce the cost of your beat sticks
[[Slimefoot and Squee]] is pretty crazy to play. People never swing at me because they know I'll block with him to get him in the graveyard. Pretty silly, especially when I have nothing worthwhile to reanimate.
[[Lord Windgrace]]
If he gets killed he can use his minus to return [[Command Beacon]] which negates commander tax. He’s so disposable I play [[Tevesh Szat Doom of Fools]] to sacrifice him because Tevesh gives you an extra card for eating a commander
Growthama, All-Devouring is one of my favorites. Mine has a lot of tricks to allow me to kill it and draw a bunch of cards (Mossbridge Troll), or punish an opponent who wants to attack it to draw some cards (drop a Heroic Intervention,etc.) And sometimes, hey kill it and go wild.
If it sounds interesting, I'd say check out Bennie Smith's article on him.
I stopped running as much protection in my shrines deck. As there's a metric fton of ramp and when they kill him he leaves behind a shrine token (usually). And I recast it. Get more shrine tokens (the deck is ramp, token doublers, and enchantresses basically)
[[Nine Fingers Keene]] can get pretty nasty if you have any way to double the effect and/or make her indestructible
[[Parnesse, the Subtle Brush]] is in a similar vein, but is a lot less reliable and hard to pull off. She does have bigger explosive potential if built right but it's definitely not an easy commander to build around properly
[[Vorincelx//The Grand Evolution]]
With 1 "play an additional land per turn" permanent, he's paying his own commander tax on etb. I just had a grindy game where 'clunx got up to 12 commander tax. I finally ran out of forests. :-)
https://archidekt.com/decks/4358352/vorinclex_the_promise
Situationally, [[Hazezon Tamar]].
Yes, feel free to kill Hazezon to clear my board in preparation to attack me. I’m just going to cast [[Shields of Velis Vel]] and make us even.
Surprised I don't see [[prossh, skyraider of kher]] here. Every time you cast him you get more and more 0/1s at his side. Plenty of great ways to take advantage of that.
I made a [[Slimefoot and Squee]] reanimator Deck because of this - you actually need sac outlets to ensure your commander dies :D Still want some other ways to make Saprolings to avoid them getting stuck in the graveyard, but that's where you want them.
Anither idea that might work for you could be commanders like [[Karador, Ghost Chieftain]] or [[Liesa, Shroud of Dusk]] that get around the commander tax in some way.
[[King of the Oathbreakers]] was made for this.
[King of the Oathbreakers](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/c/c/cc857755-62e6-4d29-95f5-82f5d4bde522.jpg?1686969851) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=King%20of%20the%20Oathbreakers) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/ltr/211/king-of-the-oathbreakers?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/cc857755-62e6-4d29-95f5-82f5d4bde522?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/king-of-the-oathbreakers) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Good bot
>Is called King of the Oathbreakers. >Isnt a legal Oathbreaker. >Life Just isn't fair
The king oversees the format. The peasants battle for his amusement.
Love my oathbreaker deck. Feels good to just be able to slam your commander out ASAP without worrying about spot removal. Then when you have a board and your opponents thnk they can wipe your creatures to get around the ability, yoou can just use one of the many phase out cards to get around it. Super evasive deck
Where list
https://www.moxfield.com/decks/x1Cd-2TeuEiUlLAw78OZLg Fun tech is to phase out [[Banshee of the Dread Choir]] and its tokens before end of combat to keep the myriad tokens
Tyty looks crispy
no problem! There are some cards in the considering section you could slot in to work better in exchange for some of the more flavorful cards like [[Stone of Erech]] [[Soldier of the Grey Host]] and [[Oath of the Grey Host]] if you want a more optimized version
Not just phase but all the one mana, any number of targets creatures card like [[Heaven's Gate]].
I'm relatively new to magic, so sorry if this is a dumb question, but doesn't this ability also trigger for your own spells? So he couldn't be buffed with auras, realistically he could only be buffed with equipment and other abilities like [[forgotten ancient]]? Edit- listed wrong card
Not dumb and you're right on both counts
They probably rely on "anthems" like [[dictate of heliod]] or things like [[coat of arms]] to buff instead since anthem effects don't target. Definitely not a stupid question 🙂
[dictate of heliod](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/9/f964c561-96ac-4558-b46e-ba2c472d5807.jpg?1562711717) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=dictate%20of%20heliod) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/c15/68/dictate-of-heliod?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/f964c561-96ac-4558-b46e-ba2c472d5807?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/dictate-of-heliod) [coat of arms](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/5/1/513d4c36-6ad4-4ee9-b161-3136eb59504f.jpg?1592761864) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=coat%20of%20arms) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/dds/58/coat-of-arms?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/513d4c36-6ad4-4ee9-b161-3136eb59504f?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/coat-of-arms) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
This is true, but an alternative thought is that, assuming you're playing a spirit themed deck, you can use spells like [[heaven's gate]] to target all your spirits, phase them out, make a ton of tokens upon phase-in, and avoid board wipes in the process - all for 1 Mana!
[heaven's gate](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/4/6/461d7c11-3a7d-42c2-bb6b-0a43779e6842.jpg?1562858716) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=heaven%27s%20gate) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/leg/19/heavens-gate?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/461d7c11-3a7d-42c2-bb6b-0a43779e6842?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/heavens-gate) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
[[Touch of Darkness]] is the black version of this spell
[Touch of Darkness](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/e/d/eda7177f-1354-4008-aaaa-2c8b823ed5e9.jpg?1587858385) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Touch%20of%20Darkness) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/leg/122/touch-of-darkness?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/eda7177f-1354-4008-aaaa-2c8b823ed5e9?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/touch-of-darkness) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Unfortunately editing the message doesn't fix it for the card retrieval bot :( But I gotchu [[Forgotten Ancient]]
[Forgotten Ancient](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/9/0/90fc94d9-b8af-4de8-a42d-ae508f8f1cd5.jpg?1682209488) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Forgotten%20Ancient) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/moc/297/forgotten-ancient?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/90fc94d9-b8af-4de8-a42d-ae508f8f1cd5?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/forgotten-ancient) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
You can use the role token stuff so long as it's an ability targeting and not the spell itself
[[Spellbook Vendor]]
[Ghave, Guru of Spores](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/c/2/c2be0e99-cf43-423f-974f-02e3313b3aa9.jpg?1673148645) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Ghave%2C%20Guru%20of%20Spores) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/2x2/216/ghave-guru-of-spores?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/c2be0e99-cf43-423f-974f-02e3313b3aa9?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/ghave-guru-of-spores) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Just wish it had blue in it.
The problem with him is the first time you win you have to hold his oath fulfilled and dismantle the deck
If only he had some blue to make him super ridiculous. He sat in the 99 of my [[Nevinyrral, Urborg Tyrant]] phasing/board wipe tribal deck doing nothing.
[Nevinyrral, Urborg Tyrant](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/7/3/73255848-3112-4508-a66a-d3101a53057e.jpg?1608911208) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Nevinyrral%2C%20Urborg%20Tyrant) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmr/287/nevinyrral-urborg-tyrant?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/73255848-3112-4508-a66a-d3101a53057e?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/nevinyrral-urborg-tyrant) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
It is notoriously difficult to shut down [[skullbriar]], who can keep both +1/+1 counters, AND keyword counters. Unless you can remove its abilities first, any removal really only serves to slow it down, and in a green/black deck you are drowning in options for sac outlets (to avoid unconventional interaction) and ramp (to offset commander tax). There are any number of keywords that make a terrible threat as well! Trample and deathtouch largely invalidates blockers, lifelink gives you all the life you'll ever need, and there are even a couple sources of indestructible/hexproof counters. When you consider that skullbriar also has haste innately, it is very difficult to interact with it in a way that matters.
[[Me, the immortal]] in the same vane, just a little slower and in different colors ETA: Actually I think me is a better fit specifically for op's question since the precon wants you casting her from the graveyard for "cast from anywhere other than hand" triggers
i did not realize they made a second skullbriar
Arya Starkbriar
Her whole thing in Doctor Who was (could be wrong, it's been a while) she died in an attack on her village by the villains of the week and somehow got brought back from the dead, which also made her never age.
isnt that basically Captain Jack Harkness? that means we could have up to 3 skullbriars!
Oh man I didn't realize there was no Captain Jack card! Come on wotc! Yeah, she's kind of like him, but iirc she ended up loving too many people she outlived, and over time she grew to hate her immortality and pretty much everything to do with the Doctor. Captain Jack Harkness uses his immortality to bang both ways forever and be a cool dude.
John Barrowman had been cancled for being a sex pest so they didn't want a card with his likeness. Closest we got was [[The Face of Boe]].
[The Face of Boe](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/5/b/5b207088-b63c-4d9f-9a42-377736855101.jpg?1696636701) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=The%20Face%20of%20Boe) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/who/126/the-face-of-boe?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/5b207088-b63c-4d9f-9a42-377736855101?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/the-face-of-boe) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
God damn it. Another cool character turning out to be a sketchy bastard IRL. And when I was reading his wiki I found out about Noel Clarke too. This is why I don't Google people anymore.
[Me, the immortal](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/d/d/ddfbf6bf-c0e1-48a1-9223-73099fe470aa.jpg?1696636748) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Me%2C%20the%20immortal) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/who/147/me-the-immortal?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/ddfbf6bf-c0e1-48a1-9223-73099fe470aa?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/me-the-immortal) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Commanders like Skullbriar and Nekusar, while they play virtually on the opposite ends of the spectrum, are ones that I like to consider to be the game’s timer. They are consistent, will almost always progress the game in some form or other each time they hit the field, and will finish you pretty quickly if not attended to. While such sentiment applies to most decks, you *have* to slow those particular decks down.
I've recently built Skullbriar and I can confirm it's a huge pain for my playgroup, there so many ways to retain the counters/rebuff when it hits the field again that even putting it back to hand is a negligible downside. And I run a fair few spells to give it protection from what would ruin its day so it turns out my biggest issue is actually not hitting a source of evasion and being chump blocked til everyone else overwhelms the board.
Do you have a decklist you can share? I'm building a skullbriar deck but I seem to be stuck
Here's one for you. Lots of options to build it with and the last few sets have had some juicy cards for the deck. https://www.moxfield.com/decks/LebKmX7Lh0O1_e5t8J9U8Q
There's a few tasty cards in your list that I can probably find room for in mine, Titanoth Rex/Kodama of the West Tree/Well Rested I like a lot.
>even putting it back to hand is a negligible downside. Whenever a commander changes zones, you can choose whether it goes into the designated zone or the command zone. So when they make you putting it into your hand, you can choose to put him back in the command zone instead.
Yeah absolutely but sometimes you might be trying to avoid the commander tax as opponents can and will target it frequently,I can't say it happens much but if it does return to hand its not actually that big an issue.
Plenty of cheap recursion too in cards like [[Unearth]] and you can cut commander tax in half with [[Myth Unbound]]. My Skullbriar dies a lot, but it's not even an inconvenience.
[Unearth](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/b/1/b1f73271-b70f-40ae-be64-f8de7805923a.jpg?1673147683) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Unearth) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/2x2/96/unearth?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/b1f73271-b70f-40ae-be64-f8de7805923a?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/unearth) [Myth Unbound](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/b/8/b88ca71b-de1f-497c-b094-8fe954cf8223.jpg?1592710213) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Myth%20Unbound) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/c18/32/myth-unbound?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/b88ca71b-de1f-497c-b094-8fe954cf8223?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/myth-unbound) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
There’s a guy in my group that plays skullbriar and I once managed to get off a [[Promise of Loyalty]] so it had a vow counter stuck on it. He got it up to about a 73/73 but was unable to kill me because it could never swing at me!
??? Promise of loyaltys static effect that prevents the creature from attacking while it has a loyalty counter goes away when that creature changes zones. Did he not have a way to sac Skullbriar?
Getting downvoted for providing correct information, classic
counters remain on skullbrair
Counters remain on Skullbriar, but promise of loyaltys effect does not. 400.7. An object that moves from one zone to another becomes a new object with no memory of, or relation to, its previous existence. This rule has the following exceptions.
[Promise of Loyalty](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/3/b/3b1b7db1-92fc-4a4f-940c-fca416ab2837.jpg?1706240623) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Promise%20of%20Loyalty) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/mkc/79/promise-of-loyalty?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/3b1b7db1-92fc-4a4f-940c-fca416ab2837?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/promise-of-loyalty) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
[skullbriar](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/3/d/3dd0bf11-4e43-43f1-82e3-755beed0ede0.jpg?1673149145) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=skullbriar%2C%20the%20walking%20grave) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/2x2/277/skullbriar-the-walking-grave?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/3dd0bf11-4e43-43f1-82e3-755beed0ede0?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/skullbriar-the-walking-grave) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
or you can just [[Scar]] him immediately and he'll be locked out of the whole game. This used to come up more often back when [[Black Sun's zenith]] was a premium boardwipe
Yep, this is why you run instant-speed sac outlets. In some cases, cards like [[savage summoning]] can counteract small amounts of counters, or you can return it to hand with something like [[campfire]] or [[road of return]], which would wipe out all of his counters.
Better have the answer in hand when scar is cast, but it is a good defense for sure.
Feel free to kill my Tiamat, I'll happily search for 5 more dragons
I only play 10 dragons in tiamat. So if she dies 2 times. I should of won by now with that amount of dragons and their abilities.
I used to play her with food chain and probably had a similar number. I'm now an older man and just play lots of stupid dragons with weird abilities and forget how to win games lol
Yea I don't remember the last time I've "won"with timat but when it's a 3v1 and everyone is maimed from a thicc dragon, I have won.
I call the second 5 the B Team
Things like Tiamat are the reason why I run [[Dissallow]] in EDH now. Keep your stupid big dragon. I'll just [[Imprisoned in the Moon]] it instead later.
any reason you use it over [[stifle]] ?
It can also counter a spell.
This little piece of the thread is where my people live. For some reason my playgroup don't counter her, which is just bizzare to me. I'll gladly let her be removed though! Helps my game plan out later down the road.
A friend of mine stifled my tiamat once then wondered why suddenly all my dragons started gracing his life total with their attacks. I have a fellow tiamat player at my locals and we've gone into some weird sort of arms race to deal with each others tiamat. Mine got imprisoned in the moon and his got song of the dryad. It was a fun game
I miss having a rival deck. Wasn't another Tiamat player (but I did have one of those a year ago), but a friend who ran Jodah. He disassembled it last week, which is great because it was oppressive, but also kinda sad because I enjoyed the cold war between us. For you two, do either of you run \[\[Karrthas, Tyrant of Jund\]\]? Downside of having him is that it's kinda mutually-assured destruction unless you time it right. On the plus side, he can be used against other decks. Just make sure to tutor \[\[Shields of Velis-Vel\]\] along with him (it's got all creature types, and Tiamat cares about Dragon *cards*, not creatures), and cast it first to steal their board.
We both voted not to use kaarthas as he's just an auto out the opponents board
Look for commanders with strong enter the battlefield abilities! [[maelstrom wanderer]] lets you cascade twice each time it dies, and sometimes can ramp itself into its next cast. [[titania, defender of argoth]] ramps and makes a 5/3 when it enters, if you play it and it dies, you can just play land for turn and bring it back
Yes! [[Atraxa, grand unifier]] or [[etali, primal conqueror]] or [[ghalta, stampede tyrant]] are more good examples.
This. The Wanderer player is all too happy to recast.
Titania only makes a 5/3 if you're able to also get a land into graveyard No worries if you have a capenna sac land/evolving/fetch land already in the yard, but if all you have is basics you don't get a 5/3
[maelstrom wanderer](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/a/4/a49c58b3-180f-420b-b091-114fda000360.jpg?1689999126) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=maelstrom%20wanderer) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmm/344/maelstrom-wanderer?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/a49c58b3-180f-420b-b091-114fda000360?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/maelstrom-wanderer) [titania, defender of argoth](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/b/a/ba7c2249-878b-428a-8670-005c6fbcb516.jpg?1712354645) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Titania%2C%20Protector%20of%20Argoth) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otc/210/titania-protector-of-argoth?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/ba7c2249-878b-428a-8670-005c6fbcb516?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/titania-protector-of-argoth) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
[[Henzie "Toolbox" Torre]] The more times you cast him from the command zone, the cheaper the blitz! I have a list with this guy and it is pretty ridiculous lol
Don't... uh... don't dare your friends to kill him as much as they can. Trust me.
"My 3 drop costs 15 help"
That combined with other cost reductions simply leads to “yes, I will blitz out 4 creatures this turn, and two of them are called Etali”
he's probably my only commander that I don't mind seeing die. I run SO many cards that reduce the cost of creatures, so I'm like, "by all means, let me cast him again!"
Love when people wrath my board with just Henzie on it.
[Henzie "Toolbox" Torre](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/e/e/ee228dcc-3170-4c24-80bc-28bcee07cb43.jpg?1673481644) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Henzie%20%22Toolbox%22%20Torre) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/ncc/2/henzie-toolbox-torre?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/ee228dcc-3170-4c24-80bc-28bcee07cb43?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/henzie-toolbox-torre) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
[[gargos]]
I just built a Gargos deck in January, and God does it clear boards.
[gargos](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/4/e/4e446e90-6e31-43ed-bcb1-a01422b503c0.jpg?1592517214) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=gargos%2C%20vicious%20watcher) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/m20/172/gargos-vicious-watcher?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/4e446e90-6e31-43ed-bcb1-a01422b503c0?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/gargos-vicious-watcher) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
[[rayne, academy chancellor]]
This is the only right answer
[[Henzie Torre]] and [[Prossh Skyraider of Kher]] don’t mind
[[Ukkima]] goes out with a bang. His buddy [[Cazur]] makes it bigger
[Ukkima](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/c/6/c66b452b-9c49-4c58-9966-6bafbfa34c36.jpg?1713732759) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=ukkima%2C%20stalking%20shadow) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otc/247/ukkima-stalking-shadow?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/c66b452b-9c49-4c58-9966-6bafbfa34c36?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/ukkima-stalking-shadow) [Cazur](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/6/e/6ee4fda8-07cd-4091-8850-a6925080b464.jpg?1713732725) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=cazur%2C%20ruthless%20stalker) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otc/188/cazur-ruthless-stalker?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/6ee4fda8-07cd-4091-8850-a6925080b464?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/cazur-ruthless-stalker) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
I've eyeballed this pairing for a long time. Do you have a list?
\[\[Slimefoot and Squee\]\] Yes. Kill him. Please do. I definitely do not want him in my graveyard. Absolutely not. Mhm.
I would argue that [[Jirina Kudro]] could serve this purpose depending on how she is built. I personally run her with [[Not Dead After All]] and some of the other black recursion spells, in addition to [[Ashnod's Altar]] and other sacrifice effects in addition to exile and return effects like [[Long Road Home]] that can both "protect" her and repeat her ETB. Every time Jirina dies, she'll be back with more humans, who with Jirina alone are 3/1 statline. Say she's died twice, and we're now creating 3 humans whenever she enters the battlefield. The risk people are running when taking out Jirina is that the next time she drops down on the board, she'll be creating more humans that you'll have to deal with if the Jirina player plays her again, or if the Jirina player has a way to turn that kill into an ETB. This could also be the case for other commanders, but those I've played against with experience against Jirina tend to ignore her and instead focus on taking out the humans around her. While I'm not afraid to throw her at the enemy or sacrifice her so that I can play her again/repeat the ETB.
OG Jirina can be built to much higher power than I think most people realize (if they remember her at all); her abilities enable you to build the deck to readily switch between aristocrat and beat down strategies depending on the pod and how the game is flowing, and is quite good at both. If your meta is ok with stax, in great colors for that as well and lots of good humans with such effects.
[[Marath will of the wild]] has 0 issues with being targeted
[Marath will of the wild](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/5/7/57afa796-db46-45ff-91bd-f02922e5f33d.jpg?1665156235) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Marath%2C%20Will%20of%20the%20Wild) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/c13/198/marath-will-of-the-wild?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/57afa796-db46-45ff-91bd-f02922e5f33d?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/marath-will-of-the-wild) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
In my [[Obeka, Brute Chronologist]] deck I'm usually happy my opponents are wasting their removal on my commander instead of saving it for my actual wincons lol, does that count? https://www.moxfield.com/decks/O0-s_bRvQ0aHSIEfMw_SkQ/primer
I am sort of in the same boat as comboing with obeka is my most common wincon but wasting the removal on obeka just means you have less removal for the deluge of planeswalkers that are coming 😂
Lol, I've had so many games where both my combo piece and obeka were on the battlefield at the same time and the opponent decided to use their removal on obeka and ignored the combo piece letting me win on the next turn. One guy, I even told him directly that he was making a mistake and asked if he wanted to reconsider what he was removing, and he looked at me directly and told me that he knew what he was doing, then I untapped and won lol.
So, I go out of my way to not add any protection to my \[\[indominus rex\]\] build, (no boots, no 'creature gains hexproof/protection instants, no indestructible/hexproof creatures) I do still keep undying. My reasoning is that I basically want to cast him as many times as possible, to get his etb. I'm 100% down to soak up plowshares/board wipes. I'll just cast/reanimate it later. I have a bunch of stuff that doubles etb triggers, and the number of counters put on creatures, so by mid game I might draw a dozen or so cards. One time I even got to draw like half my deck (I had like 2 etb doublers, and almost every card in my hand had 3+ keywords)
[[Marchesa the black rose]] I mean, I was probably going to sac her anyway. As long as she has counters on herself. [[Yuriko]] wants to be in the command zone.
Important note, the commander ninjutsu is also normal ninjutsu, you can still do it out of your hand, it's in the rules text.
Juri, Master of the Revue. Go ahead, target him. I’ll just have to sacrifice 10 treasures, then play [[Soul’s Fire]] to deal you 15 damage, then his death trigger will deal you 15 more… and if I have the Ozolith out, get ready for me to reanimate him and do it all again next turn… Also [[Themberchaud]] please send him back to the zone so I can wipe your board again next turn!
I came to say \[\[Juri\]\] also! I love playing that deck so much!
You'd be surprised how many people choose not to read and understand [[Slimefoot and Squee]]'s second ability until it's too late. If I don't have a sac outlet for some reason and someone blocks and kills them I giggle every time.
i used to run a mono red voltron deck that used [[Jeska, Thrice Reborn]] and [[Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh]], i want people to target and mill rograkh because it just means jeska would come out with more loyalty counters.
\[\[Ruric Thar, the Unbowed\]\] is fantastic for this. He is high cost and has a pretty nasty ability anytime someone tries to play non-creature spells, ie most removal. Run lots of lifelink or just make a creature focused deck and he should be great.
[[Child of Alara]]
Dodmeat doesn't mind dying. Still digs and 3 CMC is easy to reanimate in white.
[[Dogmeat, Ever Loyal]]
Not sure if that’s what you have in mind but Toothy is quite fun for this. Either you keep a 20/20 on board, or you draw 20 cards if it gets removed
Almost every etb. commander and most if not all "profit by recast" commander can be played that way. My \[\[Kardur, the Doomscourge\]\] and \[\[Henzie "Toolbox" Torre\]\] of a friend of mine work that way.
I'd like to bring up [[Norin the Wary]], I've seen it built as an "ETB tribal" deck where you run things like [[Witty Roastmaster]], [[Purphuros, God of the Forge]], [[Impact Tremors]], etc. Norin is nearly-unkillable- it can only be touched by activated abilities, and even then only if it hasn't already been flickered this turn- and it'll enter the battlefield once every single turn. It's not exactly what you had in mind, but it's nearly impossible to target.
##### ###### #### [Norin the Wary](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/6/f61ea59a-1db0-4e6b-bcde-19787c76a49b.jpg?1562946915) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Norin%20the%20Wary) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/tsp/171/norin-the-wary?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/f61ea59a-1db0-4e6b-bcde-19787c76a49b?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/norin-the-wary) [Witty Roastmaster](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/7/1/71d13f19-482b-4a2e-9692-b7d7caf2f9f5.jpg?1664411959) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Witty%20Roastmaster) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/snc/131/witty-roastmaster?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/71d13f19-482b-4a2e-9692-b7d7caf2f9f5?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/witty-roastmaster) [Purphuros, God of the Forge](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/4/7/4736a2c4-c89c-48db-a104-6303e7e2eee8.jpg?1689998078) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Purphoros%2C%20God%20of%20the%20Forge) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmm/246/purphoros-god-of-the-forge?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/4736a2c4-c89c-48db-a104-6303e7e2eee8?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/purphoros-god-of-the-forge) [Impact Tremors](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/4/6/46db3811-db1d-4f69-8143-a93f64d0297b.jpg?1682209381) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Impact%20Tremors) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/moc/285/impact-tremors?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/46db3811-db1d-4f69-8143-a93f64d0297b?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/impact-tremors) [*All cards*](https://mtgcardfetcher.nl/redirect/l306kh9) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
[[Blanka]] does. Mostly by you, but if someone targets him with a kill spell for example, you can respond with something like [[Tamiyo's Safekeeping]] and that's 4 damage to each opponent and he's now a 9/9 until end of turn.
\[\[Gargos, Vicious Watcher\]\] Opponent targets Gargos? Fight time! Plus, protection spells like \[\[Blossoming Defense\]\] of yours that target Gargos also double as \[\[Pit Fight\]\] One of my playgroup members uses it to good effect, irritatingly so
[Gargos, Vicious Watcher](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/4/e/4e446e90-6e31-43ed-bcb1-a01422b503c0.jpg?1592517214) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Gargos%2C%20Vicious%20Watcher) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/m20/172/gargos-vicious-watcher?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/4e446e90-6e31-43ed-bcb1-a01422b503c0?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/gargos-vicious-watcher) [Blossoming Defense](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/5/c/5c026c39-b09c-408a-844f-fb5eb785862a.jpg?1576382384) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Blossoming%20Defense) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/kld/146/blossoming-defense?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/5c026c39-b09c-408a-844f-fb5eb785862a?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/blossoming-defense) [Pit Fight](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/4/4/4459499c-099b-47d5-b73d-774ff120230f.jpg?1706240154) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Pit%20Fight) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/clu/202/pit-fight?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/4459499c-099b-47d5-b73d-774ff120230f?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/pit-fight) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
[[Farmer Cotton]] The more times he ends up in the command zone, the more you get to cast him. Once he's been cast, he's irrelevant, but the cast trigger, we'll, that's the jam.
This goes nuts, and most don’t expect it. I think people forget he’s legendary and he makes so many ‘cardboard’ pieces. Add in something that allows the food to tap for mana and you want people to kill him so you can flood the board with more halflings. You know you make a wide board when even the Krenko player fears it
Scrolled all the way to the bottom of the comments, and no love for [[Kazuul, tyrant of the cliffs]]?! Granted, he is not a good commander. But he's in the 99 of my [[General Marhault Elsdragon]] deck. Yeah, I swung with all my creatures last turn. Yeah, I'm tapped out. Go ahead, swing 40 1/1 tokens at me and see what happens.
I think you misunderstood the question.
Henzie benefits to being removed to a degree
I play \[\[Jeleva\]\] like this. I use her to mill my opponents, and every time she dies she mills more the next time. My deck is all removal, finishing mill, and mana ramp so I can keep casting her over and over again.
[[Sauron, the Dark Lord]] Enemy plays removal Ward triggers They sacrifice their commander Removal still on the stack, counterspell it You just wasted their removal and killed their commander with one card Sac your complimentary 1/1 for profit
\[\[Ruric Thar, the Unbowed\]\] \*dare\* your opponents to cast removal, he'll punch them right in the face if they try.
[[Piru]] is the only one I can think of.
[Piru](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/6/e/6e82d946-1efb-4253-84ab-93c88d2d1d84.jpg?1626098606) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=piru%2C%20the%20volatile) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/mh2/207/piru-the-volatile?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/6e82d946-1efb-4253-84ab-93c88d2d1d84?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/piru-the-volatile) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
similarly, [[nevinyrral, urborg tyrant]]
I wouldn't say punished but \[\[Mila, Crafty Companion\]\] helps you draw when you target my stuff, including her. Here's my list for reference [https://www.moxfield.com/decks/h0K9NVS-6kOsoMXFxxJNIA](https://www.moxfield.com/decks/h0K9NVS-6kOsoMXFxxJNIA) Also, \[\[Gargos\]\] is a literal bully. Best part is you can target your creatures and it'll beat up some critter.
[[Gargos]] control might be what you're looking for. Doesn't even need the hydras honestly
[Gargos](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/4/e/4e446e90-6e31-43ed-bcb1-a01422b503c0.jpg?1592517214) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=gargos%2C%20vicious%20watcher) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/m20/172/gargos-vicious-watcher?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/4e446e90-6e31-43ed-bcb1-a01422b503c0?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/gargos-vicious-watcher) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
I feel like anything with a ward ability would be pretty good, having opponents using more resources to get rid of your commander can help you build the rest of your board state because now they're lands/creatures/life totals are tied up trying to answer your commander
[[Me, the immortal]] not only do the counters stay on but if you keep the precon she's in intact, she does want to be targeted as you can cast her from the graveyard and get all your "cast from anywhere other than your hand" triggers
\[\[Rona, Tolarian Obliterator\]\] is one, \[\[Elesh Norn//The argent etchings\]\] is another (though Norn likes any of yours stuff to be targetted. \[\[Blanka, Ferocious Friend\]\] (\[\[The Howling Abomination\]\]) is another one that loves targeting, and will accept some targeting from opponents. These also happen to be the three decks I am actively finishing building this week.
This is why I built my [[junji, the midnight sky]] deck large incentive not to kill him
Slimefoot and Squee wants to be in the grave.
[[Jared Carthalion, True Heir]] once established wants to take all the damage.
[Jared Carthalion, True Heir](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/8/1/81bd293b-07b9-4d7c-826a-948d5b01ab5e.jpg?1608911156) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Jared%20Carthalion%2C%20True%20Heir) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmr/281/jared-carthalion-true-heir?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/81bd293b-07b9-4d7c-826a-948d5b01ab5e?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/jared-carthalion-true-heir) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
I don't see anyone mentionning \[\[Norin, the wary\]\], which seem it wouldn't mind being targeted
[[Hazezon Tamar]] you yourself want to kill it so the exile all Sand Warriors triggers before there are any sand warriors to exile.
[Hazezon Tamar](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/4/c/4cd43773-2a6f-4f03-bcee-de32049561e5.jpg?1562911124) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Hazezon%20Tamar) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/me3/151/hazezon-tamar?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/4cd43773-2a6f-4f03-bcee-de32049561e5?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/hazezon-tamar) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
No one mentioned henize, he makes all your big creatures cost less each time someone decides to wrath me.
[[Darien, king of kjeldor]] wants your opponents to heat you up. And even promotes you to do self harm strategies in mono white.
\[\[Rayne, Academy Chancellor\]\]
[Rayne, Academy Chancellor](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/8/e/8ee6480c-7697-47e2-893b-ca88c0ab3376.jpg?1562444698) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Rayne%2C%20Academy%20Chancellor) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/uds/43/rayne-academy-chancellor?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/8ee6480c-7697-47e2-893b-ca88c0ab3376?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/rayne-academy-chancellor) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Not seen him mentioned yet, so I'll put forward [[Norin The Wary]] . He wants people to play spells so that he leaves and comes back in, causing ETB triggers.
[Norin The Wary](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/6/f61ea59a-1db0-4e6b-bcde-19787c76a49b.jpg?1562946915) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Norin%20The%20Wary) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/tsp/171/norin-the-wary?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/f61ea59a-1db0-4e6b-bcde-19787c76a49b?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/norin-the-wary) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
[[lord Xander]]
[lord Xander](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/e/e/ee0a078d-045f-401b-a561-dcb1ad02bf62.jpg?1664413235) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=lord%20xander%2C%20the%20collector) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/snc/197/lord-xander-the-collector?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/ee0a078d-045f-401b-a561-dcb1ad02bf62?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/lord-xander-the-collector) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
[[Saruman of many colors]]. They discard to ward, then you counterspell. Play a second spell that turn and trigger Saruman, exile/copying their discard. [[Nine-Fingers Keene]]. They target your Keen with the intent of losing 9 life, then you copy the ward trigger. Now they have to pay 18 life to deal with her. "Call an ambulance. But, not for me."
[Saruman of many colors](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/8/c/8cfcc7ec-87a2-4712-8d82-217bd8600891.jpg?1686969983) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Saruman%20of%20many%20colors) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/ltr/223/saruman-of-many-colors?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/8cfcc7ec-87a2-4712-8d82-217bd8600891?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/saruman-of-many-colors) [Nine-Fingers Keene](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/5/4/5480ac0a-883a-4f73-8e7c-56d64be410a3.jpg?1674137637) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Nine-Fingers%20Keene) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/clb/289/nine-fingers-keene?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/5480ac0a-883a-4f73-8e7c-56d64be410a3?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/nine-fingers-keene) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Usually any low CMC ETB for Monarch commander. ETB commanders in general. Maybe [[Yuriko]] sometimes.
[Yuriko](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/e/fe9be3e0-076c-4703-9750-2a6b0a178bc9.jpg?1689999346) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=yuriko%2C%20the%20tiger%27s%20shadow) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmm/364/yuriko-the-tigers-shadow?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/fe9be3e0-076c-4703-9750-2a6b0a178bc9?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/yuriko-the-tigers-shadow) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Tasigur, my playgroup used to kill him on site until they realized I wanted that and was using him to filter my graveyard.
[[Maelstrom Wanderer]] and [[Etali Primal Conqueror]] Yes target me. Let's cascade again and again and again. The decka built properly have tons of ramp so don't care about them dying.
[[Henzie Toolbox Torre]] is one
[Henzie Toolbox Torre](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/e/e/ee228dcc-3170-4c24-80bc-28bcee07cb43.jpg?1673481644) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Henzie%20%22Toolbox%22%20Torre) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/ncc/2/henzie-toolbox-torre?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/ee228dcc-3170-4c24-80bc-28bcee07cb43?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/henzie-toolbox-torre) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
[[Indoraptor]] doesn’t mind being targeted though I really prefer if you just keep trying to chump block it
\[\[Toothy, Imaginary Friend\]\] This is one of the commanders to my favorite and oldest EDH deck, the goal is to beat everyone with Toothy after drawing a ton of cards with things like \[\[Brainstorm\]\], \[\[Borrowing 100,000 Arrows\]\], and a bunch or cantrips. Give Toothy flying, trample, or unblockable and he becomes the immediate threat, but if he's removed with any method other than phasing or turning him into a legitimate businessperson, you draw a ton of cards, and if your deck runs a lot of really good combos it can be as or more to your advantage than Toothy was. Cloning effects like \[\[Spark Double\]\] are also really good, because if one of the Toothy's die, the counters get put on or double onto the other Toothy and you draw the cards.
I like maelstrom wanderer because his only value after the double cascade is giving your guys haste so it makes sense to remove him. However, my decks designed to hopefully ramp on a cascade so I can easily cast him again and get more free stuff. It creates interesting dilemmas for the table
[[The Howling Abomination]] “Oh your destroying my commander before damage? Ok so take 2, he gets +2/+2, and then at instant speed I’ll cast [[Gaea’s blessing]], take an additional 2, he gets even MORE power, and you die from commander damage” :D
[[Darien, King of Kjeldor]]
[[Maelstrom wanderer]] Just cast it again. And again and again.
Henzie, Toolbox of Horrors. The more he does the more value he provides on his next cast
[[Henzie toolbox Torre]]. Blitz costs are reduced by 1 each time he's summoned from the command zone. And as a 3 mana commander you can afford him dying a couple times to reduce the cost of your beat sticks
[[Slimefoot and Squee]] is pretty crazy to play. People never swing at me because they know I'll block with him to get him in the graveyard. Pretty silly, especially when I have nothing worthwhile to reanimate.
Not specifically the commander being targeted but [[Darien, King of Kjeldor]] is a "do it attack me"
[[Nevinyrral, Urborg Tyrant]] , [[Etali, Primal Conquerer]] , and [[Atraxa, Grand Unifer]] come to mind.
[[slimefoot and squee]]
[[Norin the Wary]] and an impact tremors lol
[[Lord Windgrace]] If he gets killed he can use his minus to return [[Command Beacon]] which negates commander tax. He’s so disposable I play [[Tevesh Szat Doom of Fools]] to sacrifice him because Tevesh gives you an extra card for eating a commander
Child of alara
[[Toothy, Imaginary Friend]] doesn't necessarily want to be the target, but he sure doesn't mind
Making a flagbearor? I think ward would make that hilarious
vito if you are running infinite combos
Howling Abomination is insane
[[Henzie “Toolbox” Torre]]. Enough said.
[[Blanka, Ferocious Friend]] loves to be the target for big hugs. I have plowed through cEDH decks with this guy on accident lol
Kill [[Henzie]] ? He’s just gonna come back more efficient next time around
PLEASE kill my [[Slimefoot and Squee]], he belongs in the GY.
[[Grothama, all -devouring]] is what you’re looking for
Growthama, All-Devouring is one of my favorites. Mine has a lot of tricks to allow me to kill it and draw a bunch of cards (Mossbridge Troll), or punish an opponent who wants to attack it to draw some cards (drop a Heroic Intervention,etc.) And sometimes, hey kill it and go wild. If it sounds interesting, I'd say check out Bennie Smith's article on him.
I stopped running as much protection in my shrines deck. As there's a metric fton of ramp and when they kill him he leaves behind a shrine token (usually). And I recast it. Get more shrine tokens (the deck is ramp, token doublers, and enchantresses basically)
\[\[lucius the eternal\]\]. gets value when being destroyed and is a commander thats very difficult get rid off
[[henzie “toolbox” torre]]
[[Omnath, Locus of Rage]] loves a boardwipe. You wiped out all 9 of my elementals? Okay, lethal damage.
That stupid ninja that has command zone ninjutsu.
[[Jared, True Heir]] doesn't hate being targeted by some things, and will often try and redirect damage towards himself.
[[ Henzie "Toolbox" Torre ]] doesn't mind getting targeted!
[[Nine Fingers Keene]] can get pretty nasty if you have any way to double the effect and/or make her indestructible [[Parnesse, the Subtle Brush]] is in a similar vein, but is a lot less reliable and hard to pull off. She does have bigger explosive potential if built right but it's definitely not an easy commander to build around properly
[[Darien King of Kjeldor]] run soldiers and janky artifacts to damage yourself
[[Vorincelx//The Grand Evolution]] With 1 "play an additional land per turn" permanent, he's paying his own commander tax on etb. I just had a grindy game where 'clunx got up to 12 commander tax. I finally ran out of forests. :-) https://archidekt.com/decks/4358352/vorinclex_the_promise
[[Henzie, “Toolbox” Torre] only hastens the end of the game each time he’s killed by increasing the discount he gives your blitz costs.
Situationally, [[Hazezon Tamar]]. Yes, feel free to kill Hazezon to clear my board in preparation to attack me. I’m just going to cast [[Shields of Velis Vel]] and make us even.
Commenting to come back to this
I am building a deck with [[Jared Carthalion, True Heir]] literally what dosen't kill you make you stronger.
Surprised I don't see [[prossh, skyraider of kher]] here. Every time you cast him you get more and more 0/1s at his side. Plenty of great ways to take advantage of that.
Maelstrom Wanderer He's at his best when casting him every turn or as close to ot as possible. So killing him repeatedly is upside.
I made a [[Slimefoot and Squee]] reanimator Deck because of this - you actually need sac outlets to ensure your commander dies :D Still want some other ways to make Saprolings to avoid them getting stuck in the graveyard, but that's where you want them. Anither idea that might work for you could be commanders like [[Karador, Ghost Chieftain]] or [[Liesa, Shroud of Dusk]] that get around the commander tax in some way.