Scariest Commanders to Play Against | The Command Zone 520 | Magic The Gathering Commander EDH

[@commandcast]

Which Commanders are you the most scared of? Why are they so scary? How do you try to balance the scales against them?

[@alpacaraider9661]

nethroi is so scary, he is almost unbeatable if they have a big GY

[@commandcast]

@@alpacaraider9661 Nethroi almost made the list! Definitely scary to play against.

[@theaeskey2502]

Horobi death’s wail. Boardwipe tribal and can turn dorky draft chaff like liquimental coating into a continuous free kill spell… it’s scary. It’s also combo based for me. I run mindcrank bloodchief asention with syr Konrad back up. Plus you run a suite of reanimating spells and lands (Endless Whispers, Phyrexian Reclamation, volrath’s stronghold etc). Yeah it’s scary. It can even turn lands into kills spells (see maze of ith, urborg [the one from legends] Shizo, Death’s Store House etc). Also another nasty combo in the deck is unwinding clock. I’ve had games where it’s been three against one and I’ve placed in second

[@shubhdhar6551]

animar tbh

[@jeffreylong1478]

Things that cheat in big creatures can be scary. Rakdos lord of riots, Kaalia, Atla palani, etc. It’s not necessarily the commanders but what the commanders can cheat in that make them so threatening.

[@davidmason3332]

You should do a “Game Knights” with the four scariest commanders. That would be amazing

[@ertai222]

True.

[@davidrosenberg9615]

Nah, the game would probably end quickly, depending on who draws the most fast mana.

[@maxbodifee3263]

They are running less fast mana nowadays to make the games more interesting. Also they should be able to keep each other in check pretty well

[@joshmc5882]

Sounds like a Halloween special

[@IgorDellaPietra]

from personal experience, playing against cancer edh (cedh) is not fun nor interesting and if you had already doubts about your hobby, you will probably quit right afterwards. fun stuff!

[@lore_lite_]

rachel coming onto the staff here has entirely transformed your content. these days i’m interested in every subject and find myself intrigued through the whole episode. very happy with her addition to the staff and her approach to MTG, it’s really taken your content to a whole new level. her impact is distinctly noticeable and a massive positive change for this channel. edit: kind of sad some of these replies started dunking on other people when that wasn’t my intention! stop pitting women against each other or comparing individuals to each other. everyone on the CZ team is epic. Rachel has just made some noticeable changes to the show since she joined on and that’s awesome of her. not a sleight to anyone else here. let’s keep it kind y’all ❤️

[@xxhellspawnedxx]

Yeah, she has revived, or at least coincided with the revival of, what I feel that the CZ has mothballed until recently, i.e. the in-depth discussion and ever-green topics, as contrasted by the product-specific episodes that have become more common in the last couple of years.

[@andrueurbane7361]

Rachel is a great addition. Whip smart, respectfully snarky and has fantastic chemistry with everyone. She has earned my new sub.

[@fnmeng]

Rachel is the best

[@timmyg316]

Really? I can't see it. She's fine, not bad but certainly not amazing. Maybe I'm missing something you guys are seeing? I miss having Jimmy and Josh together because of their chemistry. The shows become a walking infomercial for Magic anyway...

[@joshuaritter7702]

hard disagree from me since she joined it feels lack luster

[@rylanchampion5972]

So about Kalamax: you can't cast fork or reverberate without another spell on the stack. So an instant kill commander isn't possible without someone else casting a spell for you to target. Also harrow you won't sacrifice two lands. It's part of the cost so you copy the spell not the casting cost. So it's 1 land for 4

[@gideondaniels8010]

Yes! They made him seem a lot scarier than he is (he can still get pretty scary lol)

[@rylanchampion5972]

Yeah exactly, although I would say if ral Zarek the War, of the spark version, resolves and kalamax is tapped you're probably dead

[@TurtleBleach689]

you can just cast a sorcery first to target, kalamax only cares about instant spells

[@xXDerPuppenspielerXx]

@@TurtleBleach689 But then you cant do it instant speed when Kalamax is already swinging and unblocked.

[@AKitchell]

@@xXDerPuppenspielerXx Hypersonic Dragon is one of the cards that can help you get around that.

[@stikkontakt4]

Finally this podcast discussing fun subjects again and not just set reviews. Keep it coming !

[@bobross8585]

Literally the last like 8 videos aren't reviewing anything. What are you talking about?

[@quintmarcelis2691]

​@Bob Ross It used to feel like most episodes were reviewing sets, precons or revealing stuff for WotC, so Im also really happy with the 'evergreen' topics.

[@bobross8585]

@Quint Marcelis I feel like you're just saying that because you're actually just mad that WOTC is releasing more product.

[@awsomewild]

@@bobross8585 tbh its valid to be mad, bcz everyone should be mad at WOTC, (not Command Zone) for their scummy practice these past months (hell even these past years). And they are not done, wait till the LotR set comes out

[@bobross8585]

@@awsomewild ... why?

[@jakel3333]

I'm surprised to not see Winota. She is incredibly strong and consistent.

[@WilliamAndRose1]

I was too! She is probably my strongest combat based commander, even though I don't use a CEDH level design.

[@Commander_Claw]

@@WilliamAndRose1 I feel like she is manageable just because its boros and you have to have a Non-Human creature.

[@xxhellspawnedxx]

Winota is strong, but she is also quite random. Like, for Winota to go absolutely bonkers, in a casual context, you need to have your (relatively few) nonhuman creatures in your starting hand and/or early draws and your big humans in your library, relatively close to the top but spaced out evenly so that you don't flip 5 in one trigger and then whiff for all of the following triggers. It rarely stacks up that way, at least not in a casual build. Depending on the board state, you can usually let Winota be for a turn or two at least, before she starts becoming tricky to deal with. She also doesn't come back as easily as other commanders (i.e. doesn't directly provide card draw and/or mana), and obviously her colours proclude a lot of the most broken shit you can do in commander. The bit you have to watch out for is if she drops something that can give a bunch of extra combat steps, double strike or lots of nonhuman tokens.

[@Commander_Claw]

@@xxhellspawnedxx See the way you explained it shows you have played a ton of games with her. I haven't been a victim yet of a player flipping over creatures with extra combat steps, double strike thats not Embercleave!!! But the randomness is what makes her manageable..

[@WilliamAndRose1]

@@Commander_Claw My build I think differs from a lot of others, in that I focus on humans that synergize. Soldiers, specifically. A lot of humans that create soldier tokens create non-human ones, which just fuel Winota more. Half the creatures in the deck are hasty one drop non-humans, the other half are humans that either make soldiers, buff soldiers, or are soldiers themselves (sometimes more than one of those!). The turn Winota comes down, I usually have two or three creatures already prepared to go - or you can be sneaky and have Winota come down first, all alone, so that she doesn't look like a threat - and then bust out two, three, or even four hasty creatures the following turn and attack immediately. I've gone from an attack like that into having about 20 creatures on board at the end of the combat phase, and then closing out the game the following turn.

[@bryankopkin6869]

Id love to see a video on commanders that people think aren’t threatening but end up being scary

[@wayneballard5875]

Yes please! :-D

[@AmberPanda382]

My #1 is Jetmir. I’ve seen people look at him and think “oh it’s 9 creatures I’ll be fine” and then I just play scute swarm and Hattie and they’re like “ah shit”

[@malmasterson3890]

Top of that list for me would be the commander I would immediately add to this video; Elminster. If you hate Narset, this is Narset but more consistent & takes longer lol.

[@HamSandwich-xk3om]

One that I just discovered that might qualify is Light-paws, emperors voice. Very deceptive in its power, not to mention, the "drawback" is a complete non-issue in commander!

[@robynmaag1266]

At 1:07:30 I think it's so funny that Jimmy was like "Even with a budget deck" and then shows expensive cards on screen

[@Alessandro-mg9oh]

Ahahaha true

[@Crimzinn]

Spot on. Ah yes, my budget deck with The Great Henge and Purphoros.

[@OhNoTheFace]

I think they are officially disconnected on cheaper decks lol

[@WurmZ420]

Fr. The most budget on that list is the bored wipe 🥱

[@AngelusNielson]

These are the people who routinely play with mana crypts and dual lands. "Budget" is relative.

[@LordRedhand]

Reminds me where me and a friend did a two-headed giant EDH tournament with Tergrid and Tinybones, it goes exactly how you imagine it would. Magic as Richard Garfield intended attacking with 1/1's and 1/2's.

[@ArtificialBadger]

Jetmir has gotta be up there as one of the scariest. At the last persons end step blast a dozen tokens on the field, untap those lands play Jetmir and suddenly there's over 100 trample/double strike damage instantly. Can go from an empty board state to lethal damage to every opponent in less than one turn. White Suns Twilight, Rabble Rousing, Myojin of Blooming Dawn are all essentially instant wins with Jetmir.

[@ellaser93]

It's fun having a commander that turns March of the Multitudes into a combat trick!

[@Buberte]

Had jetmir under a rabble rowsing recently. An attack with 7 dogs and 2 humans turned out to deal 120 dmg to the table 🙈 surprise

[@alfredorivera5764]

I play Jetmir. He is awesome.

[@musicalshark1812]

Run the new juggernaut that says all other creatures are 5/3 juggernauts that have to attack each combat if able

[@arthurpicket3505]

Thanks for the episode! I've been out of the loop for about four years so an update on the metagame as well as a breakdown is fantastic for me.

[@SmashCentralOfficial]

This is a list of the most strongest, un fun commanders to play against. It's not the "meta" whatsoever. Your meta depends on who and where you play lol.

[@arthurpicket3505]

@@SmashCentralOfficial I use the definition broadly and to assist in threat assessment.

[@anthonymarciano6050]

@@arthurpicket3505 most people do, he clearly doesn't know where the term derives from. Most Effective Tactic Available

[@GoldenSpartan007]

It sucks living in a small town where all I can do is live vicariously through KZbin because there is no play groups near me

[@ertai222]

No kidding. Or a community that tries to force you out because someone there doesn't like you.

[@Delwift]

Krenko, Mob Boss is always terrifying to go against. Even when kicked down a few times it can and mostly will bounce back if left too idlely.

[@paulszki]

A friend I play with has a krenko deck. Since he's not as experienced and hasn't played MtG for a long time, his deck and the way he pilots it isn't especially dangerous. But if he is the starting player and draws the Sol-Ring, it's almost certainly going to be a non-game if I don't have the removal right then and there. t1 sol-ring into possibly lighting greaves t2 krenko, equip greaves, tap krenko: goblin counter 2 t3 play anything that makes goblins (more than likely at least 3+ goblins) -A> tap krenko: goblin counter now at 10 If you then go into your own third turn, even if you find an answer to krenko now (or have the mana to cast it because you ramped turn 2), there's already a bunch of goblins out and you'll just die in combat in short order. But I do think, without a Sol-Ring, he is entirely fair unless it's a really low power table. The less interaction people run, the more likely it is that his board will exponentially swarm. But casting a krenko "fair" turn-3 seems entirely reasonable and gives players a lot of time to react and if nobody can do anything about krenko in a 4-player game for like two full turns, it's okay if they lose.

[@GEMMiOx]

All you need is a Rakdos Charm homie

[@ColorwaveCraftsCo]

The editors did a great job with this one 👍🏻

[@tristancaballero5932]

Definitely! Big props to them.

[@GridicA]

i would add Urza, chief artificer to the '1 to 2 turns' list. Phenomenal value if allowed to stick around, and scary support in that color pie

[@Ruvikon]

Loving Rachel's input on the format and watching her play is always fun too. Def a great choice adding her to the staff!

[@loopyt6205]

Been a big fan of you guys for years. Can’t thank you enough for all the videos!

[@kitcoakley1357]

Nor can I

[@Skellygoo]

I remember I tried to build "The Fair Urza" when he first came out... Lol my friends still rib me about it. I just now embrace how broken he is and play all the stax pieces and infinite mana (at an appropriate pod/table of course.)

[@ashbell5240]

Edgar Markov. Eminence is always a higher degree of scary, and while you might be able to board wipe a few times to keep him down, black draw and any white protection means his army of vampires keeps coming back and swarming players down.

[@deveous8629]

I was sure he was going to be on the list lol

[@Antigonex]

This is what I’m building right now😂 he’s 100$ and I’m buying him

[@ashbell5240]

@@Antigonex I have a Edgar Markov deck that generally wipes the table. Which is great for high power, arch enemy, or if I want to lay on the gas against someone's new deck. But it's not a great fit in low or mid power tables. What I've really enjoyed is running Mathas, Fiend Seeker in the 99 so you can swap him in as your commander instead of Edgar to fit in low/mid power tables better.

[@ashbell5240]

Highly reccomend it. Allows you to play the deck at any table without getting any groans.

[@drake898989]

25:42 just a note on kalamax and harrow, saccing a land is a cost to cast the spell, so you only have to sac one land. the copy shouldn't trigger, since you aren't casting the copy. So it's actually sac 1 land get 4

[@zodiac3981]

prosper is one of my favorite decks and it always blows me away that my play group rarely ever deals with it immediately. usually it leads to them having to completely dismantling my board 2-3 times if they want to stop me.

[@brianrowe5624]

Most recently I built an Ovika deck and that thing is crazy powerful...mana rock tribal with a few card draw and payoff spells...game over man

[@biohex7638]

I'm surprised you guys didn't mention Toxrill, decks filled with proliferate, counters and creature protection.

[@mibbzx1493]

Yea toxrill can also be played in the 99 and show up outta no where and slap face 🤣

[@mindhackz]

Ninjitsu Toxrill out of nowhere with Umezawa

[@Shane16784]

Also cloning it can be really toxic…..pun intended. And cards like Dictate of Erebos pretty much keeps the board clean permanently

[@tristinhays9870]

@@mindhackz bbbhhjhhhjhhh

[@lisaparker271]

you all are too pure, when i made toxrill, it was basically kormus bell + urborg and ways to tutor for them. I just ld everyone everyturn.

[@jodylester9118]

As a Prosper main, I can confirm he pops off REALLY hard. If people aren't careful, he can have 30 minute uninterrupted turns that just never seem to end. Woe to all if Etali also gets going on top of that. Edit: I was being hyperbolic with the "30 minute" figure. My b. Somehow didn't realize it would be taken literally. Lol

[@MaleusMaleficarum]

That sounds miserable

[@mindhackz]

Why are you the way that you are.

[@CristianFernandez-dh2lf]

As a Prosper main, I agree without question. And we can aristrocrat our way out of a game

[@cristianvaldez-ramirez3618]

Will respectfully scoop as i would like to play.

[@WilliamAndRose1]

I play my Prosper list very differently. I have him built to specifically use my opponents' decks - by exiling their cards to play with. He has no real way to win on his own, and thus becomes as weak as the other decks at the table. I find this a really fun way to play him, and he doesn't take as long of turns usually (maybe 2-5 minutes once he gets going, but never 10+).

[@AlbertHolland-z7x]

rachel and jimmy = best on-screen chemistry

[@mastablasta6222]

Chulane being first is so appropriate. Before I knew how insane he was, I threw a Chulane deck together from random creatures I had sitting around and boy did it work. Not only does the deck play itself, but it tends to build itself too. I went into a fugue state and tuned it up, now its not one I really play lol

[@Creeper201217]

Shorikai, genesis engine. That card is insane. If you don’t get rid of it the value you get from that card becomes too much

[@LHBens]

As a new player to magic and commander i love that you both explain why a card is scary and what cards go well with them and then they also explain counters. i love this video i have learned so much. You should do shorts of certain combo cards and how they resolve with each other players interrupts etc. I still struggle with this.

[@zeusalternative1270]

Niv Mizzet Parun is able to draw a bunch of cards or go infinite with curiosity like effects.

[@BalderTray]

24:30 I don't understand how the "Kalamax fork" combo works. Let's say you declare attackers, you tap kalamax, now your FIRST instant spell of the turn is copied. You can't cast fork without a valid target. So you need to put an other spell on the stack first, but then it's that spell that will be copied, not fork. So in my book, you need other cards to make this work, like an other copy effect, the ability to cast sorceries at instant speed, etc. Kalamax an fork alone isn't enough to go infinite, unless there is a secret shenanigan I'm unaware of.

[@SnowFoxWithAGasMask]

I actually believe Garson starn belongs on this list, with just one pinger and a few spells he can kill players insanely quickly, and being able to pay 1 or 2 to do 3 damage to each creature your opponents control gives him a edge over decks that rely on cheap creatures in early game or hordes.

[@DarkanOmegamu]

As someone who plays this commander, I can confirm. Games are ended quickly if no one takes out the pingers.

[@dimitricardoso7334]

​@@DarkanOmegamu do you have any list ?

[@DarkanOmegamu]

@@dimitricardoso7334 I have one on Moxfield but it's currently outdated with what I'm playing now. I can post it up here later though

[@mexftplaya]

I made a spellslinger / Storm deck with him and yes. The game will end quickly if not dealt with. Not only does it do direct damage but it also can function as creature removal effectively

[@TheComicBookJoker]

@@mexftplaya Let me guess. Grapeshot doing its best Lightning Bolt impression thanks to Starn?

[@kitcoakley1357]

I'm very happy to see that none of my commanders were mentioned, but even more glad that I have a sense of what my next one will be right now I'm working on getting all of the four color commanders out of the way I've already got atraxa and Breya it's nice to know that guy is a good bet as well

[@hiddenleaf414]

I like how there are so many “Scary” commanders now. You can easily play a pod where everyone plays a scary commander and those can be some of the most fun swingy games to play. My friend group normally closes the night out with the strongest commanders vs each other. Koma, Chulane, Prossh, Yuriko, Xenagos, Sythis, Urza.

[@-8h-]

I dont think I'd group yuriko with those others. Scary yes, but not like those ones.

[@kylehershman2288]

I 100% agree with Omnath lol. I had a game *last night* where by T4 i was dropping 2-3 lands per turn, had a felidars retreat + ancient greenwarden out and was buffing my entire board and doubling all my triggers.. The deck goes brrrr

[@sebastiendouilhet5890]

I'd like a video about the ones the make the game more fun while remaining powerful!

[@bradlanigan9286]

I love the podcast, appreciate everyone on it and those I don’t see. Love that you always show the card you are talking about. Thank you.

[@RMTM09]

I feel like Atraxa(both, but more Praetors Voice) is a pretty scary commander. I do run her for my poison deck, and it is pretty good.

[@thriftypsgr]

I am loving these videos. It really helps a new player like me. I bought a precon in March/April and used y’all’s budget upgrade for it starting out.

[@chaelsonnen1]

keep these podocasts coming! theyve been great

[@naythangoosling1697]

all i have to say is we have a friend in our group that his playstyle is always "i just combo out here" id love to see a spot light on like maelstrom wanderer or arcum dagson or something on how you guys work around annoying combo decks

[@BrodyTwice]

Kalamax still needs a legal target for the first fork you cast so it's not as easy as attack and cast fork

[@TheComicBookJoker]

No, but it is as easy as cast a Sorcery, hold priority to cast Fork targeting the Sorcery, profit. Or have a way to give something Flash, just so you *can* attack first.

[@BrodyTwice]

@@TheComicBookJoker yes it's just not as simple as attack and cast fork which is what they made it sound like. You either have to wait till post combat, do it precombat, or have a way to cast a sorcery during combat or bank on an opponent interacting during combat

[@davidmsmith268]

I have a Tergrid deck. I let ppl know when I am so they won't play a sacrifice deck against it, and yep, usually they come after Tergrid hard and fast. It's something you have to deal with if you go down that road.

[@andrewpeli9019]

Negan, the cold-blooded is another strong treasure commander that wasn't mentioned.

[@deathstrokear1483]

I came here to comment this. I have a Negan deck that revolves around blinking Negan, sacrificing opponents creatures and making multiple treasures per creature that gets sac’d and nearly every game I play, I have the whole table gunning for me from start to finish, and I win more often than not

[@andrewpeli9019]

@@deathstrokear1483 I call mine “The bad guy deck.” A villainous character, from a hated set, doing things that makes the table groan.

[@thomaspetrucka9173]

For me, it’s anything that is Izzet. In any other color combo, wincons tend to be telegraphed and you don’t have to feel bad focusing them. I have never played against an izzet deck that doesn’t just delete everyone in a single turn. AND THEN people don’t believe when you tell them that the jhoira player is the threat when someone else has a 10/10 on board-it’s just ridiculous.

[@summerflare2321]

Another point I've seen that makes Omnath just so damn good is Mutate. You can mutate a non-legendary creature onto Omnath and make copies of it and it copies the abilities acquired from Omnath, so you just have a metric crap-ton of Omnaths and just super out value your opponents.

[@ShotensGaming]

That deck idea was popularized by this channel with Jake's omnath deck.

[@ondrafox3808]

I've only seen it but bruna light of alabaster is scary af

[@gerardoramos3179]

So then the question becomes, what commanders do you like playing against? A lot of these cards will make you think you're in for a bad time, but how do you know you're in for a good time? 😬

[@fdtori]

You are in for a good time if you can at least foresee that the game is winnable, that hope is sustainable and prolonged, and if all players can take part in that feeling of hope, then everyone can have a good time, even the ones who eventually lose... losing isn't always that bad if the game was close.

[@jolteon345]

Honestly the answer is fairly easy - anything that isn't played that often and isn't in the scariest list. The best games are the games that surprise you, and agreeing on jank with your playgroup (usually keeping your budget below $60 or $75 including the commander) makes the most fun games.

[@finnthehydra622]

I have a Jodah, Archmage Eternal deck that runs with cascade cards. It has Omniscience and a few other high CMC cards like Stormherd bc I also run Maelstrom Nexus and Imoti, Celebrant of Bounty that can give those cards cascade as well. The deck regularly takes off once I get access to WUBRG. With the ramp I run in it, I can usually get all my colors out by turn 3, and then cast whatever I want, which is usually a big cascade spell

[@nerd2death899]

So i just wanna throw one that seems niche up until you really play against a good brew for it (mainly because my friends hate this deck). Liesa, Shroud of Dusk from Commander Legends. She has, quite consistently, out valued in a unique way where simply trying to remove her would be too punishing and dangerous, and she can quite easily control your opponents ability to play the game with juat one or two spells from you. And she can almost never die, due to her command tax being replqced with life loss.

[@epyon6712]

can you share your list? I'm trying to build a liesa deck but been failing with it.

[@nerd2death899]

@@epyon6712 I can, but it's expensive-ish. What's your budget, I do have some budget based ideas/replacements.

[@epyon6712]

@@nerd2death899 Thanks man! No worries, I'm all for expensive decks. If something is expensive like out of question I'll ask for a replacement if you let me.

[@nerd2death899]

@@epyon6712 Do you want a link to the decklist on Manabox/EDHreq? Or just a list here in the comments?

[@juancaicedo2007]

From the commanders you guys mention I have 7 of them that I play… I love bringing the salt to the table and deal with multiple people at one time… love the challenge…

[@sum_dum_dragon4759]

Sad to see Yidris on this list, but he is insane normally. I will say I do love my 4 color dice rolling deck. He's just there for the colors I swear!!!

[@Blacklodge_Willy]

I have him built as a value mill deck to get more bang from my mill spells 😅

[@markuskoivisto]

I don’t believe you

[@ellaser93]

"Oh, you're playing Tergrid? My commander is Trostani Discordant! Wait! Where are you going?"

[@bernie9817]

LOL at the fact that they didn't include Krenko, Mob Boss.

[@xxhellspawnedxx]

He, and many other commanders, are powerful, but not usually KoS scary. Like, he doesn't directly provide mana or card advantage. If he's knocked down a couple of times, he usually stays down, and without a very specific set of goblin combo pieces, that deck is dead in the water. This sits in stark contrast to the Golos wannabe's who provide unrivalled card and/or mana advantage pretty much as soon as they hit the field, i.e. Chulane and Korvold.

[@bernie9817]

@@xxhellspawnedxx I play with a lot of protection for krenko and ways of doing his ability multiple times per turn. Sure Krenko is susceptible to board wipes, but what commander isn't? I don't play my goblin deck much because its not fun for my meta or my LGS meta. All i really need to win in for this deck is card draw and protection for krenko. Obviously supporting goblins go a long way, but to say Krenko is not a KoS commander is an L take for you and the command zone.

[@bernie9817]

@Bong Water Alchemist so does deflecting swat and red elemental blast and reverberate.

[@meownezz]

My playgroup: "I'm not prepared to play against a tergrid deck" Me: *puts tergrid in the 99, puts varragoth in the command zone* then we're good. :D

[@philippniemann8842]

5:07 the Podcast starts here

[@hannahblair3810]

I like Rachael's attitude to commander, very down to earth but keeps a fun vibe, her and jimmy work well together

[@jelledemaeyer7329]

Every Time I play my Zacama deck is when i notice people counting my lands the most. The one I am most scared of in my playgroup is probably Merieke Ri Berit. she just evil.

[@alexrogall4543]

Im building him now its a blast

[@Tae_Grixis]

​​​@@alexrogall4543Him who? Zacama?

[@alexrogall4543]

@Matthew Hancock yeah thats the giant dino right that untaps your land. It was my first custom commander since i cane back to the game. I broke it down and have been meaning to rebuild it

[@Tae_Grixis]

​@@alexrogall4543I did the same with my Breya deck. Got back into the game and rebuilt my deck. Now I play it a bit differently and it is even better. I don't rely on my commander to solve all of my problems and I play a bit more aggressively. These news sets are great for my deck. I have been playing artifacts since 2013. It is home.

[@qxevtnu1879]

My favorite Chu'lane tech is the card "Abundance" 2 colorless and 2 green. When you draw a card you can choose between land and non land. Then you can reveal cards until you find whatever you choose. if I want to ramp hard and I got a hand full of creatures. I spit out lands. If I have enough land in hands. And need more creatures. I just run non land and hope its a creature. Really great card for the 99 in that deck.

[@Ohdakkeinen]

It also works with Sythis. Although I haven’t included Abundance to my Chulane deck because I don’t want to make that deck any more powerful. Abundance would be too tutorish card for that deck. ”:D

[@qxevtnu1879]

@@Ohdakkeinen oh yeah, my table is very "whatever you want to play" mentality. So I ran it for a little while but I did eventually cut it because it made the deck a little too cruise control.

[@DoubleOhSilver]

What about Koma? Or Vorinclex? Maybe that one's more scary for me since I run a Ghave deck

[@cloakingpluto]

I am more afraid of Nekusar than *any* other commander. The decks are full of cards that force you to draw cards til you die, and not in the classic mill way...

[@solsticepride3302]

I'm glad korvold is this high lol. Been playing him since he came out and he's insane. Built everything from treasures to dragons

[@alexanderl187]

Fun and educational! Loved it. And I got to see my boy Prosper! It's an often underestimated card. But I've put a stipulation in my deck where I ONLY exile from MY own deck. I use a healthy (probably too many) amount of single target removal spells, and basically get through my deck via exile/tutors and eventually cast Torment of Hailfire ftw

[@CF-hy7nk]

Sad miirym isn't here

[@chaoscultist5679]

Beat a Prosper, Tome-Bound deck with my Scarab God deck earlier today actually, it was one hell of a fight, game went on for an hour and a half.

[@DuzaRed]

Imprison in the Moon is a great card against Yuriko.

[@TheComicBookJoker]

Yep. Imprison in the Moon and Song of the Dryads are both great ways to deal with Yuriko. Also Humility if you’re feeling particularly cheeky.

[@lightfut]

My playgroup has a Bruna, Light of Alabaster player that is a kill on sight type. Bruna costs a lot, but if she hits, boots go on, and a lethal unlockable commander swing is coming.

[@josephharty5048]

I totally thought this was a game of the scariest commanders against each other lol

[@Oopsall]

The thumbnail really does put that across lol

[@williamkeiser7562]

My playgroup has quickly added Vadrik, astral archmage as one of their must kill commanders after they saw him storm off and kill everyone by turn 3 and 4 the third time. He discounts all my instants and sorceries to just one colored mana after only one pump spell or one day/night cycle before he's ripping through the deck with draw spells and spells that untap lands or ones that create treasure while building up large storm count going into mind's desire multiple times. He's has a lot of those 20 min turns that end in game.

[@dave_eagle2787]

Surprised Miirym, sentinel wurm wasnt mentioned.

[@commandcast]

Miirym was on the original list! Just barely didn't make the cut.

[@dave_eagle2787]

@@commandcast im just surprised cause the LGS i go to, most people react to mirrym as though someone announced theyre playing kaalia. And there are more powerful commanders at the LGS like korvold or prosper, so i feel like it shouldve made the list. I do agree with all the selections that made the video though

[@DoubleOhSilver]

@@dave_eagle2787 So much of a threat, we played a game at my LGS where Miirym's player was mana screwed for like 10 turns and was close to losing next (one player already lost by then). As soon as he had enough to cast him, he already had 2 other cards on the field to boost him for his next turn, He used an instant before that turn to deal lethal to the other player, and all he did on his own turn was cast one dragon to deal 90 damage on me. He wasn't even at the table most of that game because of how mana screwed he was, yet he still won. Miirym definitely belongs on this list.

[@lorchenakumnarth6456]

Still riding the high from my last game with Tergird before I took it apart. t1 Swamp, Sol Ring, Jeweled Lotus, Tergrid. t2, Swamp, Dark Deal. She became Yawgmoth, which was very same every game and too combo-y. Currently, Braids, significantly more fun than the previous two!

[@michaelcollins4534]

I always find it so odd that people are so terrified of the front half of tergrid when the back side is half on an infinite combo. Y'all know they've been taking it easy on you right lol

[@egoish6762]

I just closed a game out with a top decked torment x=43 but to be honest i could have just cast lantern.

[@michaelcollins4534]

@@egoish6762 exactly. It's literally torment of hailfire in the command zone

[@egoish6762]

@@michaelcollins4534 i'm also surprised with the 2 hour games thing, i don't run land hate in my build anyway but i rarely get a game over 45 mins. I either get battered because i'm archenemy, get looked at for board control against the archenemy or close the game out with coffers/muck/crypt/caged sun big mana.

[@CHEFPKR]

What's interesting about these commanders, especially one like Tergrid, is they do ONE thing but they do it really well. I actually play Tergrid in my 99 of a dimir deck, but she's just one of the threats versus what the entire deck is based on.

[@SuperAmaton]

One card I have nightmares about is Atraxa, Praetor's Voice. One of my friends has this card. He thought it might be fun. To comine this card. With dozens of Planeswalkers.

[@ajgunter8932]

I have a Kaalia deck and i can confirm it is absolutely terrifying to play against.

[@rontrezbeaugard8212]

Obligatory 1st

[@arthurpicket3505]

You're a twelve year old

[@hackzicuackzicu1421]

​@Arthur Picket they ain't even 1st lol

[@FunnyFunFunTime]

Only scared of Fblthp the Lost.. Because it can dig them deeper to the true terror of the deck: Storm Crow.

[@samuelboisvert5811]

Kalamax: 1) Tap kalamax (attack, paradise mantle, or similar effect) 2) Chandra's Ignition + copy spell (instant; reverberate, narsets reversal, fork, or similar effect) 3) Target the original copying spell with the copy as many times as you want. 4) Win. IF YOU DONT LIKE INFINITE COMBOS (like me) Super easy, even without infinite loops.

[@jamesbird-hall1281]

How would you run master of cruelties in an edh deck with satoru as the commander?

[@Mr_B_251]

I liked your take on Yidris. My Yidris build was a "Cast from Exile Matters" deck with a lot of "Steal Your Stuff" deck vibes, so it wasn't as consistent as the video mentioned, but nobody allowed Yidris to connect if they had the power to ensure it couldn't! Nobody wants a Stolen Goods to steal their stuff cascading into a Praetor's Grasp to steal more of their stuff!

[@ThisIsCarta]

My current rotation includes Najeela, Kaalia, and Prosper. My retired cEDH was Marwyn which flew under the radar at a lot of tables even though my average win was by turn 5. My Kaalia deck gets a lot of recognition at tables while Prosper almost NEVER gets removed. Surprisingly the two decks that got the most outright hate didn't make the video which was Prossh food chain and Edgar Markov. Just the fact that I owned food chain was enough to have a kid waste a combo to kill only me in a pod instead of waiting for a table kill.

[@nickleewright]

"Elves have so much redundancy when it comes to mana production." This is why I prefer the payoff in the command zone (with Ezuri) rather than the engine (the nurturer).

[@michaelroy1175]

I've really enjoyed the content between spoiler season! I'm glad you got a break for passion projects

[@kyleh.7002]

20:36 Just wanted to shout out Jan Jansen as being a decent Treasure commander. He’s in Mardu which may be the best color combination for treasure cards (Smothering Tithe, Dockside, Revel in Riches, Pitiless Plunderer, etc), has haste, and can easily do some untapping shenanigans.

[@nikolamatasin3877]

I honestly feel like Jodah the Unifier is far worse than Chulane, unlike normal Cascade decks, it misses counterspells, and other things you don't want to hit, since it only cares about legenedaries. Additionally. the way he pumps the board, in 2 turns tops he's giving everything +5/+5 probably a lot more... and just runs away with the game. Chulanne on the other hand requires a lot protection and "bad" ramp, and everything has to be on creatures otherwise deck may stop, so it has a lot less space to explode too. I mean... instead of running proper set of 2 mana counter spells, you're running 4 mana counter spell creatures, instead of most mana rocks, you're most likely running mana dorks (which die to boardwipe and you're screwed), instead of Cultivates, or other mana ramp sorceries, you're running wood elves... The worst things about Veyran decks... 20 minute turns, where you're not even sure if you've lost or not, so it's not like whole table will agree to concede. lol My favorite was when I was playing edited Witherbloom precon, had The Haunt of Hightower out, and Veyran player has cast so many spells, that they've put 30+ cards in their graveyard, and had 20+ 2/2 tokens with flying out too, all in one turn... next turn Rogue Passage on The Haunt of Hightower, I didn't even care if I die to other players and commander damage. lol

[@lockecole3726]

20:54 You very well may be right, and this is a bit anecdotal, but I've played my Negan, the Cold-Blooded deck against several different Prosper decks and have won more than I lost against him. If you can't keep Prosper on the battle field, I'll be the only one making treasures, thank you.

[@ayties5113]

Two examples of our playgroup: Meren is scary as she gathers the experience very quick. The other was the one game for fun 2 of our group asked if we wanna play a 2 vs 2. We lost so badly because the one Player played Ivy, Glamerous Thief as an Aura Commander, his Partner played his Ivy as a Mutate Commander. Ne had no chance against them.

[@benjaminkimberling8801]

So you guys were talking about gitrog and said that 2 lands can be played before removal because there is no triggered ability at 1:14:16. I’m confused on how the rules work because can’t you respond to him being casted on the stack and remove him? I’m very curious because I run Aesi who does something similar and that would definitely help me if that’s the case

[@commandcast]

Aesi is a little different. Because it says, "whenever a land enters the battlefield, draw," you can resolve Aesi, play one land, and your opponents get priority when the draw ability goes on the stack. They can remove it before the additional land drop. Gitrog doesn't have any ETB triggers so if he resolves, your opponents don't get priority to remove him until the Gitrog player puts something on the stack or changes phases, usually a land going to the graveyard. If the Gitrog player had a landfall trigger on board like a Lotus Cobra, then their opponents will get an opportunity. For further clarity, players don't get priority when spells resolve, only when things are put on the stack. So you can't remove a resolved creature before they play a land or activate an ability.

[@benjaminkimberling8801]

Ok thanks for the clarification that makes sense there! I really appreciate it and just wanted to add that you guys are my favorite MTG content creators so keep up the good work 👍

[@keeganbham]

8:17 Chulane is not exponential. It’s strictly linear

[@joshtalbot8224]

As a tergrid player I completely agree and enjoyed your thoughts on tergrid! Great video!!!

[@benjaminrichard7741]

I’m new to commander, so I love this video for teaching me what the meta might look like 👍 😊

[@fakeemojace4196]

I had the pleasure of meeting Gavin Verhey in México for a commandfest and he actually signed my Najeela after I asked him to sign his "second biggest design regret" to quote him, I study videogame design and I've had to see many of Gavin's own videos as study material, he's nothing short of the most charming and fun guy I've met at one of these cons

[@MachinaBahamut]

I have an Omnath, Locusts if Creation deck. I use Ancient Greenwarden to allow me to play lands from the graveyard. It also doubles the landfall triggers too, so yea, I might look into Outlaws of Thunder Junction for possible since I saw an enchantment that doubles effects

[@gemyniraptor8626]

I built Najeela right out of the gate when she was spoiled, not even thinking about how busted she was because I just wanted a Warrior tribal deck (I had a mardu one before then). And while it isn't super tuned, yeah, it snowballs if left alone a turn or two. I'm used to having to tell my table "yes it's Najeela, not it's not THAT Najeela" but I still understand the fear opponents have when she swings. And that's fine. It's okay to have a less optimal version of a top tier commander, but it's also fair if opponents choose to still treat them as rhe threat they still represent

[@ReXtion88]

This video is a great demonstration of why adding Rachel to TCZ was a baller move - excellent insights into Magic, delivered in a highly entertaining way. All of these commanders are very scary, one I would add in having just brewed it to devastating effect is Meria, Scholar of Antiquities. A good measure of a scary commander is one that can put together a really powerful deck just by throwing a bunch of otherwise not-great cards in. Urza turns any mono-U deck with a bunch of artifacts in it into a bad time, and Meria turns any bad 1-drop artifact into a mana rock which can also provide you with impulsive draw - and they are effectively free because she has the same "ignores summoning sickness" effect that Urza does, so you can just play 1 into another into another into another. And that's all without mentioning that she makes for an excellent Cheerios commander - as soon as she hits a Foundry Inspector or similar she can play them literally for free, or even go mana positive off Birgi. I'm honestly surprised I've not seen people complain more about Meria because she is a HOUSE

[@jolteon345]

My guess would be that Meria doesn't get enough play to get hated because Gruul artifacts is a very, very uncommon archetype. It's something that's fun to brew, but green makes it awkward to play artifacts when you'd prefer to have white or blue.

[@xxhellspawnedxx]

I know from playing it that Kodama of the East Tree is a massive filthmonger. All it takes is one or two creature-etb-draw permanents on the board and you can storm off, have near-infinite mana, draw into more lands and creatures to drop, and finally give this huge board haste with Crashing Drawbridge, Concordant Crossroads, Ulvenwald Oddity or Finale of Devastation, and/or pump them with Craterhoof, Unnatural Growth or Defiler of Vigor (other options are available, those are just the ones I run in my deck). To sum up the result of this deck: The last time I played it, and facing staunch resistance from my opponents, by turn 6 I attacked for over 18000 trampling damage per opponent (thank you 256 scute swarms), while having a 40 card hand and a measly 10 cards left in my library, and several protection spells in hand. Basically, once Kodama hits the field, barring a really bad hand, the player can just start dropping extra lands, willy-nilly, and as long as there's a card draw engine on the board they will basically play all their lands and creatures in short order.

[@williamkrause9968]

I would love to see how you play master of Cruelties from a Dimir commander

[@kennethandrews1111]

There have been a few commanders people have talked about taking long turns. My LGS holds tournaments. They've made a house rule of max of 5 min turns. If you can't win in 5 mins, pass. They have a judge at each table who times people's turns.

[@EvolutionSTUD10S]

Might be a hot take, but Chatterfang. If that player gets a turn or two with their commander, you generally are facing an army of squirrels and then the game ends. I also play a Ghyrson Starn list that gets targeted whenever he hits the board.

[@mexftplaya]

My friend has a Beledros deck and it's gross once he has a board set up for it. It literally goes to work on each player's turn.

[@Crabhand]

A friend of mine does not have Skithryx in his Scion of the Ur-Dragon deck, but he does use Scourge of Valkas or Dragon Tempest + Ancient Gold Dragon to otk the table if he rolls well enough. He won on turn 4 the very first game he played it.