A Commander Deck Where Everything is a Board Wipe (And it's good)

[@CenJohan]

Wrath Tribal, which incidentally describes your table after playing this list.

[@fumin2689]

this is the story arc where the player with 48 counterspells becomes the hero we need.

[@8thPlaceDave]

Zurgo vs Talrand

[@milkshakes93]

Talrand: "Finally! A Worthy Opponent! Our Battle Will Be Legendary!"

[@samjordan1724]

You mean Baral right???

[@mrjey3434]

No

[@dominiciannucci5217]

Sometimes I consider a deck like this, then I realize I'd like to keep my playgroup...

[@escapegrass]

Same.

[@TheKillerman3333]

Honestly, I would swap out some of the board wipes for different ones. Gotta love the board wipes that are also just their own wincon like white suns twilight

[@Z3R0SAMA]

No king! Archenemy all the way!

[@davestier6247]

I built this a couple years ago, it both sucks and pisses everyone off.

[@seebassteterismaster7879]

I made a board-wipe tribal deck with Animatou given that she has Miracle stuff. The win con is to use her Ultimate ability to rob someone of their remaining board as they they try to rebuild. Granted, It only has x23 boardwipes because i value my friends.

[@LaggyMcLagster]

Just played with it and 12 board wipes later, victory! It really sends a message when you use a wrath on a single creature just so Zurgo can hit for the killing blow.

[@athath2010]

How do you get Zurgo to stick, exactly? It seems like you'd be pretty targeted for hate, and a turn you play Zurgo on is a turn you're not board wiping on.

[@kevinmontoya43]

@@athath2010 if you have enough mana you can, zurgo is safe since he has indestructible during your turn

[@robrhea5309]

I HAVE THIS DECK! I called it zurgo, GO! It's 70 lands boardwipes 20 boardwipes and 10 Reanimation spells incase I somehow can't cast zurgo on curve

[@8thPlaceDave]

Awesome!

[@robrhea5309]

Everyone kept murdering my normal zurgo. Needed to fix consistency! ​@@8thPlaceDave

[@hakarthemage]

Congratulations, I hate it.

[@tremner3501]

This is a nice way to tell your friends that you hate them.....I love it

[@ignatiusrense4766]

I'm currently workshopping something similar, but using Tariel as the commander. I'm calling it "Don't ask me to play EDH" or "I hate the commander format and you will too".

[@tremner3501]

@@ignatiusrense4766 gonna need a list

[@ignatiusrense4766]

@@tremner3501 I don't have a full list yet, sorry. The idea is similar to this video, but add mass land destruction (such as: armageddon, razia's purification, destructive force) and reanimation (debtors' knell, unburial rites, Tariel herself).

[@MenardiChan]

5:41 Small addition that I missed as well before playing against it in limited: It says "choose one OR BOTH" this can be a real clean sweep

[@ofrund]

I also recommend assault suit. It protects Zurgo from a reanimator marauder deck and you can give him to your opponents so he deal more commander damage per turn cycle.

[@logodsaw]

will it also become permanently indestructible as well

[@thefacebehindthemask7007]

@@logodsaw technically they will have a small window to destroy it each turn.

[@supremecourt4131]

This is hilarious 😂

[@trialbyicecream]

I was getting so upset when you were mentioning equipment. Then you worldslayered and I was ok.

[@ninjanoodle2674]

This reminds me of Toby Elliot's Ghost Council of Orzhova deck that runs about 30 Wraths and multiple other ways to make everyone sac a creature. Being only WB it doesn't have the access to Red like you do with Zurgo, and the last list I can find is from 2012 so I think a few Wraths might have been printed since then. And I think the official name for this deck should be "Some men just want to watch the world burn"

[@ninjanoodle2674]

Sheldon Menery wrote up the decklist on a free article on Star City Games. I can't post a link, but if you search up Toby Elliot Ghost Council it will come up.

[@nathanallan4929]

This deck looks like a lot of fun! It's a shame cardboard is so expensive, though.

[@leo-nl3us]

It's commander, printing these cost like 5 bucks at most

[@TreetopCanopy]

Proxy lyfe

[@noble3696]

deadass its only super super expensive because some of the ramp this guy is using is insanely pricey just cut it out tbh and get some card draw or other ramp you can drop like 400 bucks just on vault, lotus and ancient tomb

[@kirbyfanprime]

Noticing a lack of a Command the Dreadhorde or Rise of the Dark Realms to just grab everything you've been dumping into the grave back on your side to close out a game before anyone can find an answer. But, then, I guess it wouldn't be "all board wipes" anymore.

[@oblvionprophet64]

I'm a little surprised there's no Skyclave Relic. At the bottom end it's just a Darksteel Ingot and you already have Darksteel Ingot in your list, but if you can pay the kicker cost it's actually 3 Darksteel Ingots. Having another indestructible rock that can help with the mana fixing also doesn't seem like a bad idea.

[@agafaba]

A lot of people dont think of it because its a powercrept version of a card almost nobody plays, but it is perfect for this (Used one for my child of alara deck)

[@arcanehighlighter6780]

Really enjoying these uniquely themed decks!

[@AidanWR]

Was waiting for the Worldslayer. Only problem with Lightning Greaves is that if you draw another equipment, you can't really play it since you have nothing to swap boots with

[@narkfly]

Swap out Boots for Greaves.

[@TheBloweed]

I don't know if anyone has already pointed it out but hour of revelation replacing planar cleansing seems right to me :)

[@RealClassixX]

I used to have an Athreos, Shroud Veiled deck that was board wipe tribal that also worked well. I either cycle cards like Gary, or steal their best creature. Very fun.

[@reverbstarlight3405]

I like Selfless Glyphweaver as a boardwipe on a creature! The backside can even keep an extra creature around besides your indestructible ones

[@LC-san]

Great vid. I love the idea of leaning all the way into keeping the board clean. One question though, where's the deck list link? D:

[@8thPlaceDave]

Oh yeah I knew I was forgetting something... I've added it now ;)

[@loulou-ol2fg]

Sunfall is also a pretty good boardwipe, sure it will exile Zurgo, but usually when there's a fuck ton lots of creatures on the battlefield you get a very high stats phyrexian golem you can pop out anytime you want for 2 mana. + since its exile you can deal with enemy indestructible creatures

[@wwphd3519]

Been playing Board Wipe Tribal for years now! Awesome deck tech, will help me modernize.

[@dragonzilla4236]

I made a Zurgo destroy it all deck too, but with cool Ghazkul art from 40k and I basically have no creatures but rather protections and combat tricks. Like giving Zurgo Infect, double strike, some trample, or doubling its stats to take players out in two hits. The protections well the white spells that you choose the color to gain protection from, and even the Not of this World colorless counterspell that is free since Zurgo has the 7 power to play it free. But still I have like 20 board wipes and cards that draw me more cards at cost of life.

[@timothyelliott4331]

I've literally been running this deck for seven years. It only comes out when I really want to make my friends mad.

[@Attivian]

I love Zurgo. He's my first and one of my favorite commander deck. I built him to be creatureless with nothing but ramp, draw, double strike equipment and spells and boardwipes with extra combat steps. I've been able to deal 21 commander damage by turn 3. Love, love, love my Zurgo deck.

[@omfgwtfdidijustsee]

sounds fun! do you have a list to share? I want to lose some more friends lol

[@devononair]

You took my idea! I'm building a 60 card deck of wrath spells (not creatures), and the challenge will be for the game to last a certain number of turns. If the wrath deck makes it to the end, it wins. Should be fun 😊

[@dyciefisk2535]

This sounds like the most demoralizing deck to play against. I love it.

[@TobiasHellkyt]

No love for my man Mageta the Lion?

[@quincywilliams9860]

Underrated comment ~ Love it in my Obzedat deck. So many blinks, so many wraths. The deck doesn't win, but it's hilarious 🤣

[@8thPlaceDave]

I forgot :o

[@josuelservin]

And how do you call this wonderful abomination? "Oops! All wraths"?

[@awkwardbirb5710]

Yeah I remember playing against board wipe typal. The guy ended up disassembling the deck after one play, he was suffering just as much as we were.

[@commandercorner5575]

You should put Assault Suit in the deck. Nothing better to get more commander damage through faster with Zurgo, and it reduces the time that he’s destructible down to just the beginning of each opponent’s upkeep.

[@Necroknight324]

One of the few decks I have in paper. I love board wipe tribal.

[@jniteshade5352]

I had this as one of my first commander decks. Didn't have quite as many board wipes but still had a good 10-15 and some janky equipment we had laying around. Never did pull off the worldslayer trick before i took it apart but always wanted to.

[@zeroisnine]

I had a similar concept for a deck, but I think the concept basically works for any commander that has White and Haste

[@cannedchicken2255]

I proposed a "board wipes tribal" deck based around Child of Alara to my pod as a joke a while back. glad to see someone has made that concept real *and* viable

[@Chaoslorden]

I would love to see this deck played against the Professor and watch the veins start to bulge out on him haha.

[@alechayes8151]

sometimes I think I would enjoy decks like this, and then I remember I enjoy having friends more

[@punkypinko2965]

I like the way you think. I've started building tribal decks in a similar way, lots and lots of creatures that are my interaction. And I like creatures with flash and creatures that give other creatures flash.

[@frankvanderwaals6034]

I thought about the idea of a boardwipe deck before, but like other have commented, I would be afraid to lose my playgroup. Now the main problem about boardwipes is that the games slow down, but in this case it actually does not make for a slow game since you're killing everyone with commander damage. Maybe i would play 30 boardwipes and use the extra slots for the Voltron strategy. I.e. giving him a buff and double strike everybody's face. Thanks for the inspiration Dave

[@AutumnReel4444]

Hey, I already built this! Cool list. Expect mine was all the Jokulhaups cards lol

[@erik9047]

Obliterate ftw

[@gerstle98]

I have a Child of Alara Deck which basically has only Lands in it. some Lands become creatures but more important are The Lands which let you sacrifice a creature … pretty fun at times …

[@eliasbreaux105]

this deck seems like a great way to remind your opponents to run more removal and protection!

[@Nephalem2002]

I basically have a deck like this; Judith Carnage Conniseur. She turns any Burn Spell into an instant kill on anything without indestructible or obvious targetting protection and life gain through Deathtouch and Lifelink. You play a shit ton of boardwipes, mainly the low cost ones that burn your opponents creatures for 1, declare with Judith to give an Instant/Sorcery you cast Deathtouch and Lifelink.

[@Darkrainnn]

It's a rather annoying deck to play against.. but it's beatable.

[@steampontopidan]

I made a similar deck with Zetalpa, with a crap ton of ramp, wraths, and a few good equipment. Had to disassemble it after my playgroup got tired of it 😅

[@Theorak]

When they say the deck is a 7 because that is the commanders' power... I love it. Suggested cards: White Sun's Twilight - is better Martial Coup, the Tokens can threaten an alternative win with toxic. Grafted Exoskeleton - speaking of Toxic, turns Zurgo into a one-hit wonder, if you like your games shorter. Skyclave Relic - is better, or additional Darksteel Ingot, if you have the mana, kick it. Tragic Arrogance - lets you keep one equipment, deals with indestructible without extra steps. Single Combat - not only wipes with sacrifice, but also does not allow redeployment for a turn. I like this one very much.

[@BetterCallKahl]

Grafted sadly only gets him to 9 power and not the 10 for the 1 hit.

[@sullycub7183]

@@BetterCallKahl If he kills 1 creature then he's got the 10 power. you can even get the +1/+1 counter before casting Exoskeleton so your opponents can only watch how not playing a single creature has caused death

[@jaceg810]

Hmm, I once thought about making a nevveral (or however you spell his name) boardwhipe deck. The gimmick being that besides a lot of boardwhipes, with a bit of work, the commander is also a reusable boardwhipe.

[@holdintheaces7468]

Friendship ending levels of frustration...As a Azorius Control player, it sings to my heart.

[@marcoottina654]

What about Skycleave Relic? It's the powercrept version of Darksteel Ignot. Also, Gift of Estate is "Land Tax at home". Similarly, "Scholar of New Horizons" is a Plain fetcher, which can be used just the one time (or multiple time if you can out +1/+1 counters of Zurgo) that is useful before being obliterated. Similarly, "Weathered Wayfarer" helps you since its hard to "precisely" ramp in non-green decks and in hard-to-draw decks.

[@viviblue7277]

Vault and crypt just feel wrong in this deck. Also did I see 0 surveil lands? Considering the reasonable number of fetches playing at least 1 makes sense.

[@astanix]

20 seconds into this video and I want to build this deck... I had an Orzhov deck that had 26 board wipes but I cut a lot of them to make the actual theme of the deck work better. I miss wiping the board a lot. :) I think it needs Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth in place of a swamp... so you can pestilence MORE MORE MORE.

[@yosefzanerva806]

I came across this idea first on the commanders quarters. I like to call it "how to lose all of your friends with Mardu!"

[@mofomiko]

I know about this man, and I'm building him rn. Not Boardwipe heavy, but as a spellinger deck with a good beater in the zoen

[@scrubduuken7755]

Been playing tribal board wipe for almost ten years. Zurgo is my boy my first real commander deck I built. After the 3rd or 4th wipe the table starts looking my way. Bring it I have many more and playing white good luck getting him on your turn. Only thing is in Mardu you need a good land base 4-500 bucks later I got it. I never get tired of Zurgo smash.

[@alexhouse4234]

What are your thoughts on a similar color shifted commander maarika, brutal gladiator?

[@8thPlaceDave]

That could work well too, but it might not be as good for the board wipe theme, since not having access to white cuts out a ton of wraths

[@Grindfrank]

Woa this is my new favorite deck. Board wipes ftw!

[@whydoesthisexistpod]

I once had this version of the deck and people got so salty about it I turned it into a stax/voltron. It only has 6 wraths now 😂

[@benyseus6325]

FYI, Hour of Revelation is strictly better than planar cleansing

[@finesseandstyle]

you need a game where each has a deck of boardwipes, counterspells, discard/mill and land destruction for the true salty experience

[@shieldgenerator7]

8:24 note it says ALL permanents. which means lands! you play this and it basically resets the game back to the beginning

[@grantmurdock7385]

I'd be considering the bridges over the pathways... just to be a bonus jerk with the Worldslayer.

[@8thPlaceDave]

Haha that's a cool idea

[@WhichWisp]

My version of wrath tribal uses Big Athreos (Shroud-Veiled) I'd put a coin counter on a thing I wanna keep around or an opponent's thing and then wrath the board

[@obadijahparks]

I'd add first strike, or trample, immediately..... great build.

[@youdontneedtoknow1057]

other than the 1 signet, you could put the zendikar rising mana rock, i forget the name but its darksteel ingot with a kicker to make 2 token copies of it

[@Itatchi1771]

I loved my Zurgo deck for a while. Voltron that boy up and wipe the board, he can two shot players quite easily. Eventually it gets predictable and your play group isn't very excited to play against it, so I took mine apart. Good memories though.

[@NotYourAverageNothing]

Azlask, the Swelling Scourge is a great commander for this.

[@wmdragonj]

I remember there are several infinite combat combos with zurgo as well.

[@Chicken_and_Lulu]

Could also have Mageta the Lion :) one of the very first cards I've ever gotten.

[@samarkito]

Had this video on my "watch later" for a few weeks. The mana acceleration part aged like milk.

[@8thPlaceDave]

Haha yeah

[@Krunchamunch220]

They're going to add your name to the Genova Convention.

[@charmandenator5686]

If youre running darksteel ingot you might want to consider Skyclave Relic too

[@Equisitte]

Farewell is probably one of the best bored wipes would be good when your commander dies

[@samelol8149]

Darksteel ingot got power crept by the one with kicker making 2 copies. Did i miss you include that shadrix creature that front side protects backside boardwipes?

[@Jackson-ol5xt]

It’s funny cause I had the “oops all wraths” idea but instead I went mono white with celestial kirin.

[@jrnazon9998]

You have pestilence but not pyrohemia and I would suggest skyclave relic which is basically a darksteel ingot but has a kicker for another 3 to give 2 copies tapped.

[@empurress77]

Player spends hours brewing a fun deck to play. Buys cards for it. Creates interesting board state. Opponents wipes it all. Player builds interesting board state. Opponent cackles gleefully as they wipe it all. Player builds interesting board state. Opponent wipes it all. Again. And again. Player realizes they aren't needed to even be in the game. Never plays again because why bother. Opponent "Where ya going? Don't you want to watch me play?" Game state is no different than if player hadn't even been in the "Game".

[@TC-sl8ol]

@@empurress77 Run protection. There are plenty of ways to protect your board or key pieces. Or take advantage of board wipes.

[@empurress77]

@@TC-sl8ol Have you tried doing that? Really? You end up only playing protection. It might not work either. The board will inevitably get wiped again. And again. Unless the only thing you have in your deck is protection. That means you're still not playing your deck though. You're playing against a deck, not playing your deck. Either way in any case, it's still not fun.

[@jaywinner328]

People aren't just going to let you do that. They'll counter a wipe, or protect their board or make Zurgo live in the moon.

[@empurress77]

@@TC-sl8ol Fun. Remember FUN? Board wipes are not fun. Having to not play the deck you LIKE to play because of EITHER being board wiped is no different from playing a deck against a board wipe deck. Either way you're not playing your deck. Eather way it's STILL not fun.

[@empurress77]

@@TC-sl8ol You do realize board wipe decks play recursion too, right? Have you even played against a dedicated board wipe deck? You won't have a board state. Let's say you do somehow manage to stop a board wipe or two or even all of them. If you do you won't have a board state worth crap. Then the wiper player plays their " I just win" card or combo and you still haven't played your deck. At best you've played a completely different deck just to play anything.

[@jscc1786]

I built something similar around Oloro. I think I have 28 boardwipe effects currently Sad there's no Razia's Purification since you're RW - folks get real salty with that one

[@adancein]

I *highly* recommend running Orcus in this deck, he's a boardwipe in r/b and can also hit people and reanimate creatures. Edit: Hm I guess he could easily kill Zurgo, so I get why you wouldn't want to.

[@sonichujfs2393]

Khaldra complete and nemesis mask is also a really good way to have zurgo be a board wipe lol

[@GerBessa]

Piru is another creature/boardwipe in the color that can go in the 99.

[@ArsisKytori]

Board Wipe Tribal, meets Counterspell Tribal.

[@MageSkeleton]

i have a few decks that heavily make use of board wipes, but i don't use any board wipes higher than 5 cmc and i have very few that are 5 CMC. Doing this type of strategy is mostly only for "high power" or you could say "competitive" though it's only going to do so much in Competitive as it is oppressive. You are VERY "Rock, paper, scissors" as all it takes is someone to sit down with an aristocrats deck and suddenly your helping your opponent win. Reason why most players play one or two board wipes but mostly targeted removal.

[@CrazyRampage]

I might’ve missed it but did you consider Sarkhans Unsealing? Kinda wipes the board whenever you cast Zurgo

[@dihydrogeniummonoxid7316]

You missed hour of revelation as a board wipe

[@charliewines3775]

I have 33 in my Zurgo. I'm here as a fellow board wipe conneseiur and to update the deck lol

[@StrawhatRye]

For a deck to be a "good deck" its gotta be fun to play and fun to play against. Competitive is its own thing entirely.

[@ARMIsNOTLoaded]

9:40 Skyclave Relic is Darksteel Ingot 2.0.

[@SYST3MGL1TCH]

I just play life from the loam, shifting woodlands, and nev's disk to board wipe every turn

[@jimbeam7636]

I made a deck like this at one point, I had 27 removal cards, was running Zurgo as commander, just didn't have the mana base, as it was my *counts on fingers* 8th mardu deck?

[@i0am0superBlast]

Literally just made a list like this a few minutes before this video just popped up in my recommendations lol. Except mine is terrible and I know it. Gonna play with instead XD

[@supremecourt4131]

I think you should include just a little slice of MLD

[@akemi702]

darksteel mutation is so funny to targer this commander in this deck, you have like 1 card that make you get your commander back after getting that enchanment

[@8thPlaceDave]

Haha yeah that is funny

[@ethangorman5685]

chandras ignition on zurgo is gas

[@Thug_waffle2]

Definitely chuck in assault suit, forcing your opponents to attack each other with your commander lol

[@michaelgraf6773]

Someone was wondering whether they could, but they never considered is they should...

[@Atriox1]

Why the boros signet over a skclave relic? Worst case scenario its another darksteel relic and but if you're later in the game and can kick it you can end up with 3 indestructible rocks.

[@harmonicarchipelgo9351]

You can play this deck once per friend group. If you are lucky, they might let you keep playing with them if you switch decks. No guarantees though.

[@benballard5930]

cataclysmic gearhulk would also work as a boardwipe creature

[@brysonemery9232]

Pyromania is also a good card it’s literally just pestilence but in red.

[@politikh]

@@brysonemery9232 Came to say this! 😊🔥

[@werothegreat]

Surprised you didn't put Ashling the Pilgrim in this.

[@ketchumall8243]

Whelp a few of those mana rocks aged poorly. But its okay. You can replace them with some indestructible mana rocks like skyclaive relic

[@TheLycheegreentea]

You can make the excuse that it's the group's fault for not running enough boardwipe and you have to pick up their slack. In addition, by doing these boardwipes, Zurgo is still progressing the game.