Commanding on a Budget 05 -- Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon

[@KromeDrone]

Inkmoth should be on the non-budget portion. That thing has been $20 almost since the day it was printed.

[@aldennis123]

We've gotta see more gameplays with the decks!! Especially this one

[@Justin-lf5gd]

I recently used a mono-black skittles deck and EVERYONE wanted to cry about it. "I hate infect", "I think it should be 25 counters 10 is too easy", "It's supposed to be at least 1/2 your starting life total not just 10" and so on and so on. I had to basically tell them to stop whining and new better players. I personally love alt win cons and infinate combos. The thing with combos is you know they need the pieces for it so disrupt it and stop being little babies geez. My group always hates on me even though I don't always win but I'm up for the challenge of being the target that's fun for me.

[@Chicken_Monk]

Did anyone else think at the end... OMG JOHN STEWART APERRANCE THE DAILY SHOW ROCKS!!!!!!!!!

[@MegaWizard79]

Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon is my EDH General, and an amazing Dragon card. Even without the infect, it has haste and regeneration. Who could ask for more?

[@KonekoEmzee]

Infect is powerful and somewhat saddening to lose to, but I'd still say it's less threatening than those "Here's my infinite combo I win now kk?" decks, of which there are many of. When they go off, they essentially have just ended the game, sometimes completely out of the blue and unexpected by anyone. Infect for the most part has to at least kill people player by player so it's at least a bit fairer in that aspect.

[@XNiness]

One good inclusion you failed to mention for the deck that's not budget is Cavern of Souls. Since sticking Skithiryx is so vital, sneaking him under counterspells can be really important. I like Imp's Mischief for that reason as well (change the counterspell target to the Imp's Mischief and it'll fizzle + it has other versatility, like moving a Path or Swords to something else).

[@vaschmir]

i'd recommend putting High Market to counter Terminus or Oblation or anything that puts a creature on the bottom of a library

[@lutherboy95]

you just got yourselves a new subscriber! I'm just now getting into commander and I love this series!

[@clixwalker]

Thank you for making a budgeted deck on Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon. I was trying to build a budgeted build myself.

[@olivercharmba]

my friend techs this into his B/W control deck, such a pain in the ass considering i dont have many flyers, and he likes to pump the thing. -.-

[@xexilez99x]

Whispersilk cloak is great in any infect deck

[@lohezfelix2035]

Ty for the clear guide, you gave me few ideas! i'm going to take a look to the other videos.

[@Buck9292]

great deck brionne, would love to see more budget decks in the future(my playgroup has only budget decks available) Could you try and make a Varolz or Obzedat decklist?

[@AtomicG]

Infect has its place. Its an interesting mechanic that can snipe out a win against a pesky turtle deck, or an even peskier life gain deck. My Jasmine Boreal build is both of those, and the Melira is in their specifically because poison is a legit threat. I think Infect gets more hate when it comes out of left field (Triumph of the Horde) than when they know its coming.

[@wtfcookies]

Infect gets so much unnecessary flak. It's not that hard to disrupt guys, removal is something all decks need to run. It should be a respected alt win con as its no worse than getting combo'd out. I personally hate hour long games as they get stale quickly. Awesome video btw.

[@goldranger222]

I made this deck, added a few staples....the power......its amazing!

[@drewwhoitis]

I am in love with your commentary style and vocal. you are a cool girl.

[@Garchicero]

Can you do Isperia, the Inscrutable next? With a possible flyer tribal theme? Thanks! =)

[@Oculeto]

This deck costs about twice as much now 😂

[@Dogbeing]

Yeah I was really excited about this deck until I realized that :)

[@DavideBarbieri1]

You should make some video about which are the best choice for every "category" like remouvals/counters ecc :) Also I'd love to see one of your video about Jenara's EDH control-like ;) Budget ofc :)

[@jackbaker7327]

Skithiryx, otherwise known as,... SKITTLES

[@waynehansen4366]

Love this deck and going to make it thanks

[@blas27]

A question, if its a mono black edh deck why crypt ghast is in it if it has an ability cost that can payed with either 1 black or 1 white and the white symbol is present on the card? Isn`t this ilegal on a edh deck?

[@ChillbroIgotthis]

Never noticed that Ambition's Cost and Ancient Craving have the same flavor text. It irks me a bit. But to comment on the video, good job. When my local store first had an EDH tourney I won with Skithiryx. He definitely makes the games look scarier than they probably will actually be just by being there.

[@Arvensa]

Quote 'that's not budget' end quote. There's a segment in the video where it could have gone, too.

[@Garchicero]

Well, regarding that, I auto-scaled Test of Endurance and Felidar Sovereign to 100 life and 80 life, respectively. It made everyone happy so far.

[@TopAndGoProductions]

Those cards aren't technically scaled. That is probably a house rule, but there aren't any official rules scaling those cards at all.

[@BenjiJediMaster]

other than skitti and blightsteel colossus creatures with infect are still balanced and it's very hard to go into the broken combos that edh is full of...

[@cursedteen8]

what would you take out if i would want to put liliana of the dark realms?

[@Gimpocalypse]

As "taboo" as infect can be, I can tell you there are WAY more frustrating things your opponent can do to you in EDH.

[@TopAndGoProductions]

You should send us your final list, we'd love to see it.

[@BuBuluBueNo969]

looks cool, but no discard?

[@JimWolfie]

all legal strategies are valid. for play SPIKE IT TO THE MAX

[@silentgrave17]

honestly I think infect in commander is fine, maybe not the greatest mechanic, but then I compare it to infinite combos of any kind and the result is the same except you only take out one person while infinite combos take out the table. You still have to deal with the other members in the playgroup, but maybe this is bias because I play in a mostly control meta where as you know it usually takes a long time to finish. Also if you play infect and your playgroup knows about it, almost 90% of the time you're deck will be targeted by your opponents regardless of what you do or say, and can turn into archenemy without you having any advantage. If you're having trouble with infect, the best way to beat it is to kill (bounce, exile) or counter (counters, or stifle effects) their commander over and over again until it's more or less uncastable. Usually if they play infect it's has to do with their commander.

[@fredrikgranstrom8357]

Really cool deck.love me some infect dragons ;)

[@counTerbreak00]

Well our playgroup seems not mind about 10 poison counters. For a fact that our playgroup loves to do game ending combos..just combos day in and day out, and it makes me feel sick at times. One of our friends in our playgroup has made a Skithiryx deck, and keeps shutting down combo players every now and then, usually with just one big swing. But he missed just one important thing though, he forgot that he built a GENERALIST deck that when Skithiryx is countered by Hinder or Spell Crumple.

[@RoyaLockz]

Do the people in your play group play goblin fireslingers and runeclaw bears? Those cards aren't cutthroat at all because they are very easy to deal with in a multiplayer format. You literally just swing at the person or kill the card.

[@jonathancummins6234]

Great video chief

[@NearlyNotNothing]

No, because its in the reminder text, wich means it doesn't count. Its only there to remind you that you can/may pay white mana.

[@mitchellbush9200]

Why are you not running dark realms

[@Sforschondetta]

just wanted to mention the hidden gem " Unspeakable Symbol " for infect. have fun :)

[@Edgarion63]

I feel that infect as the only win-con in a deck can be a bit lame. I remember an early iteration of my Doran deck when I had Doran, Indomitable Ancients, and Glistening Oil attached to the Ancients. I killed the player in 2 turns even though he had a far superior deck. I won, which is great, but I felt a little dirty. I fell that if you run infect, the rest of the players will either gang up on you and kill you quick, or they will just try to keep you from getting out of control.

[@Modest7787]

Imagine the budget 9 years later

[@frizzleybear]

We have the same rule. Tainted swipe was just too easy to win with.

[@RoyaLockz]

So you made the cards unplayable basically in any good deck?

[@paradoarify]

People hate poison but, it's not op

[@Meleeace1478]

I am a fan of any deck that use Mycosynth Wellspring.

[@zeroshade1020]

Skittles, the Rainbow Dragon!

[@VISORED1]

Infect on commander was one of my fav ideas. I tried Green/Black combinations and i ended up play a Mimeoplasm infect deck... too bad it was too hatefull :\

[@RoyaLockz]

10 by official rules.

[@silentgrave17]

karador ghost chieftain next plz

[@brinkpwns]

You should do a budget Rakdos lord of riots... please :3

[@ExtremeBuizel]

Woo! New video!

[@RCblake07]

Is this standard or modern? Im new...

[@xtfenrirtx]

It's neither, it's it's own format where you get a legendary creature as your commander for a 100 card deck including the commander, no more no less than 100. You cannot have duplicates of any card except basic lands unless said otherwise by the card you are playing (relentless rats/shadowborn apostle). You cannot have cards in your deck that aren't colors of your commander(colorless isn't a color, so you can always play it). For example, Skithiryx is only black, so you can only have black or colorless cards in your deck. EDH isn't the most expensive format, but it easily becomes really expensive for top tier decks, seeing as you need 100 cards.

[@Garchicero]

Then Felidar Sovereign and Test of Endurance, Pride Entity or Serra Ascendant should not be scaled too.

[@frizzleybear]

cool deck a nice fun budget deck. although in my play group we have a house rule for 20 poision to kill a player. I wonder how many of you play 20 infect in commander rather than the normal 10?

[@Garchicero]

There's a guy in our playgroup that has become so cocky when he wins, it's turning to be unbearable. He overreacts when he plays me and wins... and afterthe match, mocks me for my loss. I play Kemba EDH and I'm looking for some infect answers to shut his arrogant playstyle once and for all. Ideas?

[@idodo32]

just opened this bad boy in a pack, think i might build something like this :)

[@ForgedTraps]

Yes he is

[@jakefromstatefarm696]

Games shouldnt take an hour or it gets too stale. Make interesting wins that arent too slow and are a challenge to beat. Its the whole point of magic. Infect can be pretty easy to beat, too. Just play an end hostilities and force opponent to sac a creature. Bye bye skittles.

[@man.newton]

The other answer? Mono blue, running Keiga as commander. Kill Keiga? I love me some skittles.

[@RoyaLockz]

Yes he is by official rules.

[@keithdurocher4903]

I think the 20 posion counter instead of 10 rule is lame. People should know their play group and have a few cards in their deck to handle their friend's decks. if posion is giving you a problem build around it. I dont wanna sound like the spike player here but changing a win condition because its not fair is like playing games on novice difficulty and bragging. what make infect so strong is its a problem, if you make it not a problem then its not worth playing.

[@realitychaser2239]

Fun to play with, annoying to go against

[@jacobstormann4452]

Argentum Armor, just saying.

[@cwwilson1475]

infect slivers is a nor in my play group :) i am the one to blame .

[@Garchicero]

Nah, my playgroup is super relaxed, we don't use cutthroat techniques. In the case it wants to go more competitive, then yes, I will consider removing them.

[@SanityLapse]

My EDH playgroup used to do 10 poison counters, then 15 poison counters, and now we've settled on 12 poison counters. Just enough to survive one unpumped Blightsteel hit.

[@Phisheadz]

animar and artifact creatures

[@Garchicero]

Not too broke? Skittles + Hatred ;3

[@nikovertongen8690]

I love infect it's a quicker way to kill players and a different way to play the game. I made a green/black edh and formed a infect spawning of insects to win the game

[@legaia34]

My version is like $600

[@DementedPrankster]

Decimator Web anyone?

[@ripred42]

I don't have a huge problem with infect but I feel it should be 15 poison counters.

[@HighFlyActionGuy]

budget deck built on 50 dollars. Cavern is almost half the cost of the entire deck.

[@LPThunderStork]

Its still a bit better because you can proliferate.

[@poebelungesocks]

we play with 15 poison counters so infect is not really a big deal in our games, deck looks fun though!

[@Matti_Mattsen]

Nice vid, but doesnt fit my group. We dont play with infect normally, cause its way too strong. For us, a player lost if he has 20 infect counter rather than the normal 10, since your life total is also doubled in commander.

[@theswichoff73]

In light of the new rules so should Avacyn.

[@Martainia]

To answer the question at the end: My playgroup has agreed to set the required poison counters to win a game of EDH to 15 instead of 10. It's a simple way to round out the win-con compared to usual 40 life, without making poison damage equatable to commander damage.

[@vaschmir]

Rak'en Rol \m/

[@marcagel]

Almost all cards that were printed prior to Commander becoming a recognized format should be scaled in EDH. Serra Ascendant is just filthy and a prime example. Poison is another example and a reason Skittles is a viable commander. He's still brutal playing 20 poison instead of 10, but not filthy. Saying you're OK with playing non-scaled in a format that didn't exist at printing is like being OK with playing Karakas in EDH.

[@CleansingInferno]

Our House rule is Infect is 20, not 10, Just makes the game a little fairer

[@Dogbeing]

I don't understand what you mean by "piggyback on someone else's fatties to win the game in regards to tainted strike. I just don't understand the value of tainted strike even though a lot of infect decks use it.

[@Aolen75]

nasty lol

[@devenvalenti4411]

id say 15 or 20 poison counters to kill a player in EDH makes more sense than 10, thats what house rules are for. i can play skittles and people wont get * too * mad

[@paxmeier915]

Infect is like having 10 life!!!!!

[@Baumgardner23]

Skithiryx is not allowed as a commander

[@redeyeskev]

infect is like cheating - fortunately there is Sigarda for it.

[@SpiceCh]

Infect. Because commander damage is not good enough? To be completely honest, this list looks just about as fun as playing a deck that has an infinite/instant win combo. Rogue's Passage makes you lose friends. Maybe if you didn't play so many cards that protect the Blight Dragon it wouldn't be as much of a problem, but I loathe decks that don't interact with your opponent more than anything, and especially in EDH, which is supposed to be about social interaction more than just winning on turn 5. If you only play to win, you shouldn't be playing EDH.

[@SpiceCh]

Magic is just as much, if not more, about having fun than winning. What I want from a game of Magic is player interaction and rare sequences of play that does something awesome. Big board states and intricate combos are part of what makes Magic fun - not one-sided control matches that grind out a slow win while everyone else is just waiting for the game to be over because you're the only one who gets to do anything, or combo decks that consistently win before the game has even begun. Especially for the decks that just combo infinitely on turn 4, you'll be spending more time shuffling your decks than playing actual Magic - and that's not fun for anyone but the one who won. So, the next time you play Magic, just punch everyone else in the face and ask if they want to play again. Because that's apparently your way of "having fun" in Magic.

[@SpiceCh]

You say that winning is the whole point of Magic. I say that winning is not the point - it's *how* you win that matters. Decks that try to prevent your opponents from playing the game aren't fun for anyone but yourself (not talking tournament play). Winning on turn 2 before the game has even begun just means everyone spent more time shuffling their decks than playing the actual game, and the only person who got anything meaningful out of their time was you. Same goes for a grind-y control deck that kills everything your opponents play, discard their hand and counter their spells only to eventually win with a threat your opponents can't kill (because it's the commander and because you've stripped them of all of their resources to do so). Everyone but you will spend their turns yawning and waiting for the game to end because they aren't able to take any meaningful actions because you'll just stop what they're trying to do anyway. If 4 people are playing the game and you're the only one having fun, then you're doing it wrong.

[@SpiceCh]

"The point of Magic is to win." That is your opinion. Which you didn't express as an opinion, but as an objective fact. My opinion on how to play Magic is just as valid as yours. And yes. I say if all you care about is winning, then you might as just punch your opponents in their faces and ask if they want to go again, because no one else than you is going to have fun at the table if your deck is only focused on winning. I cite other deck types because the general idea is similar; don't let your opponents play Magic, and ignore as much of what they do as possible. Focus your deck around stopping anything your opponents might do, play stuff that makes your commander unblockable, and then play a commander that 1-hit KO's your opponents. That's more or less the skithiryx deck in a nutshell depending on how much you tune it up. And for the record, you started citing stuff like purphoros commander out of the blue and then said that my argument suddenly held no value to you as a player. Dismissing my argument like that is bullshit. You don't even know what kind of decks I'm playing and yet you're assuming that I'm okay with anything as long as it's not infect? So you see, I have a reason to be a slight bit upset at your reply to a 4-month old message when you write stuff like that :)

[@dontbanwarren]

"Waaaa stop liking what I don't like"

[@colbyburgess5267]

***** You are a good person. Thumbs up my friend.

[@Nightwing690]

This guy needs to be banned as a commander, he's so cheap and unfair when you play him, and the person playing him is generally the first one out of the game anyway, if Kokusho is banned as a general, Skittles should be too.

[@barfbag2828]

Isn't infect cheating in Commander? Way too easy. Waste of a video.

[@Tedurbin202]

I'm torn with this one. I love black and I don't mind poison counters, but I hate voltron decks and this certainly qualifies as one. Either way, nice video.