Volo, Guide to Monsters Deck Tech - FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS // Magic the Gathering // EDH // Commander

[@vex_mtg]

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[@vincenzoorasi2498]

Guardian project doesn't work in this deck, you copy the creature spell, so the token enters first, project only works with nontokens, then the original creature enters, and the project doesn't trigger because it sees the token with the same name

[@vex_mtg]

@Vincenzo Orasi, yep, I totally missed that one.

[@unaporkchop]

@@vex_mtg I put Elemental Bond to make up for the Guardian Project. I love my Volo.

[@zamorvex]

@@vex_mtg is sakishima of a thousand faces, risen reef and old gnawbone worth being in the deck? or simic signet

[@hapexamendar1093]

Eldrazi's mostly copy when cast.. so that Oblivion Sower shouldn't work. However, Nest Invader triggers on entering and is 2/2 body and a one shot 0/1 sac for a colorless mana dork. With Volo Nest Invader is 4 creatures with one spell!!

[@robertcollins2052]

Amazing. Volo is my newest favorite. What he does with mutate is friggin amazing. Such a fun commander

[@vex_mtg]

Wow, I didn't think about Volo this way, but that is sick what Mutate can do with Volo.

[@tomscut7820]

great deck! I have a Volo deck myself, but more oriented to stealing stuff. My additions are mind flayer (horror), souvenir snatcher as second bird (the other one being BoP), phyrexian metamorph, callous oppressor (cephallid), Merfolk skydiver (merfolk rogue ; steal 2 sol rings or mana crypts for 3-2 mana :P ) Keiga, Perplexing chimera, and other shapeshifters. What's great about Volo is that you really can just swap the finishers when you get bored, and it works perfectly fine, really making him a "guide to monsters" As for the draw, I am surprised you didn't mention elemental bond. I think it is a must. It goes on curve to draw from your volo, and then it also triggers on tokens. Also, since volo is a wizard, Wizard's retort can be a second counterspell :) . Similarly, "Of one mind" becomes a draw 2 for 1 mana. Another neat trick that I found was using "wild shape", since it allows you to protect AND change creature type. And it costs pennies. Loved the Rhonas "3rd from the top" trick. It has never occurred to me to sac the original and use it repeatedly.

[@vex_mtg]

@Tom Scut, I love stealing stuff, but I think players get a little too salty when it happens so I don't go too hard in that direction, but if your play group is up for it, then by all means go for it. Yeah, I wished I put a card like Elemental Bond in the deck instead of Guardian Project, but I sometimes forget about it. It seems like you got a good understanding of the ins and outs of the deck. Thanks for the insight!

[@LilyPenguin123]

Always love the deck techs. Also wish you'd make some more precon commanders, those are super fun seeing your decks for!

[@vex_mtg]

Thanks for the support @LilyPenguin123, I have decks for Prosper and Galea in the works.

[@LilyPenguin123]

@@vex_mtg oooh. Im excited for the prosper! I just bought that precok the other day. Alongside vrondiss and osgir heheh

[@mtgtomescourer]

I built this deck with Loyal Guardian and its amazing. I ended up with three of them on the battlefield and then played Old Gnawbone. So many treasures after those Guardians started pumping everything.

[@vex_mtg]

@MtG Tome Scourer, that's super sweet, I have yet to draw Loyal Guardian with this deck.

[@Nyakes]

Wooooow. I was aware of volo but as I havnt seen it being built and played I couldnt imagine how fast it could get out of hand :D Very nice deck !

[@vex_mtg]

@Nyakes, yeah Volo can get pretty nutty with the right cards. As always, thanks for the support!

[@Lv5SuperTuba]

Mannnn God Eternal Rhonas doubling twice is soooooo dirty I love it. Pulling that off must feel amazing hahahah

[@vex_mtg]

@Lv5SuperTuba, yep, it is pretty dirty, but I like the tucking it back in the deck to do it again part the most. That indeed generates all the sodium.

[@joshuamccarty1765]

If you want more graveyard hate tormod crypt is also a good graveyard hate card but in the form of an artifact. Not only is it a 0 cast artifact but you can wipe out a selected players graveyard as well.

[@B34RProductions]

My volo deck is similar but I have crater hoof behemoth and nyxbloom ancient! Those creatures doubled are insane!!

[@vex_mtg]

@n t, agreed, they are totally insane!

[@Ivelior]

If you like Rimewood Falls you should also run Tangled Islet that was recently printed in Dominaria United :) Progenitor Mimic is also nice shapeshifter for this deck, and in upcomming Wild of Eldraine will be troublemaker ouphe which is awsome arti/ench removal ;)

[@patrickridenour6546]

Oblivion sower doesn't work cos it's a cast trigger 😞 I think Elysian caryatid, risen reef, lotus cobra, and keruga are some better pics for your respective creature slots!! Just my opinion ❤️ JUNK WINDER IS OP FOR THIS BTW

[@Kougaiji38]

I feel like you are missing out on some really powerful synergies here. Mindflayer let's you snag creatures. This gets stupid broken when you combine it with eskia's chariot. So every turn you get to steal another creature. Another really good combo is icebreaker kraken and serpent of the yawning depths. Make 2 8/8's and 2 6/6's that can't be blocked. Or more if you copy them with eskia's chariot. Icebraker kraken has a bonus that you can bounce and replay him fairly easily. You definitely want to run snow lands with it though.. Also nyxbloom ancient is a must for tripling your mana (or rather mana x9). In conjunction with cards like stonecoil snake and ochre jelly you can pretty easily get a 100/100 creature that gets doubled. Stonecoil serpent has reach and ocher jelly gets trample.

[@vex_mtg]

@Kougaiji, I do love Eskia's Chariot, the Simic value engine is so loaded it's impossible to include them all. Thanks for enlightening me to some of them!

[@matthewdill335]

Instead of Guardian Project which is a non bo use Beast Whisperer. Otherwise great deck tech Vex keep em coming.

[@vex_mtg]

@Matthew Dill, hahaha, the irony is I had Beast Whisper in the deck and really wanted Circle of Dreams Druid and did a last minute swap in for Guardian Project. I forgot about the real text on that card because 99% of the time it's just cast creature, draw a card.

[@cindinero2295]

Always look forward to your videos. How come you don't have 2k by now 😔

[@vex_mtg]

Thanks for the support @cindi nero. I'll eventually get to 2k, slow and steady!

[@tricko1127]

Great deck! What is your favorite simic commander to play for fun?

[@vex_mtg]

@Tricko11, I really like Kinnan, but I play it in more powerful metas.

[@projack5617]

The eldrazi ability is on cast, and volo does copy it on stack but it's not casted so you would not get the double effect

[@vex_mtg]

@pro Jack, you are correct, thanks for the heads up!

[@projack5617]

@@vex_mtg np, i'm Building volo my self and sometimes he gets confusing

[@jonathanbaago5312]

Deck looks hella fun

[@vex_mtg]

@Jonathan Baago, indeed it is, it does get out of control really fast too!

[@zankaa8031]

Honestly overall there are some cards that are worth having duplicates for and people over-restrict themselves with Volo, obviously it's good to get as many copies as possible but you don't have to copy *every* creature and Volo is going to get targeted so even with all unique types you're still not going to copy everything most likely.

[@vex_mtg]

I agree, I play Volo in my Simic 10 Commander with a lot of the same creature types. I just wanted to build this Volo deck with non overlapping types for the ease of playing.

[@shadowreign5532]

Spectacular!!

[@vex_mtg]

@Shadow Reign, indeed!

[@Lv5SuperTuba]

Sakashima of a Thousand Faces to target your commander would be insane

[@vex_mtg]

@Lv5SuperTuba, I always want to include Sakashima of a Thousand Faces in all of my decks to have two commanders. I held back because it was a Human and wouldn't itself trigger Volo. Good recommendation though!

[@Lv5SuperTuba]

@@vex_mtg it's a human!? dammmmmmmmnnnnnn whoops had no idea

[@allenmeza6786]

Spark double

[@nathones]

Guardian project is a non-bo. It’s a non-token trigger so the copy does nothing and then cancels out your real one.

[@vex_mtg]

@nathones, yep, I totally missed that one.

[@12jacobmar]

If I cast primordial Hydra say for 6. Would I get two 6/6 hydras? Or does the copy enter as a 0/0?

[@vex_mtg]

@Marshall Jacobs, you would get 2 6/6 Hydras, the copy is the exact spell you cast.

[@12jacobmar]

@@vex_mtg thank you for clarifying!

[@rexone9564]

So, Circle of Dreams, or Beast Whisperer? drawing 2 cards for each creature I play seems great. but so does having 2 Cradles. HOW TO CHOOSE!

[@vex_mtg]

@Rex One, I actually had Beast Whisperer in the deck before I cut it for Circle of Dreams Druid. After playing I believe Beast Whisperer is better.

[@rexone9564]

@@vex_mtg thanks for the feedback! Now I look at every set for new or better versions of cards.

[@Kougaiji38]

I mean, you can just slot both and know that one won't be doubled. The odds that you will actually draw both in a game is also fairly low

[@jackvener6643]

Can you send a link in chat to a website i can buy the sleeves you use for almost all of your decks by any chance???

[@vex_mtg]

@Jack Vener, I use Dragon Shield Class Black Sleeves: amzn.to/3pOLwDq

[@SomethingClever3385]

your wrong about that spark double trigger. spark double enters the battlefield as a copy of the creature but while its being cast its still an illusion so you do copy it. than after the volo triger both of the sparkdoubles enter and become a copy of something on the battlefield.

[@vex_mtg]

Thanks for the heads up about Spark Double.

[@Nyakes]

I was just rewatching and wondering: isnt "elder" a subtype of its own? Meaning rhona and uro wouldnt work together?

[@vex_mtg]

That is correct, but usually the "Elder" are legendary and wouldn't work really well anyways.

[@florianp4059]

The deck is half double sleeved ? 🤨

[@vex_mtg]

That is correct. I usually make decks with double sleeved staples or other cards in my pile and single sleeved others. If I like the deck, I'll double sleeve all of it. Since it's casual, no one really minds.

[@spencersonnier1]

This deck needs panharmonicon

[@vex_mtg]

I don't think it *needs* it, it's a really good card and a great inclusion.

[@jonrobbins2474]

Play around with mutate. Gets busted fast

[@vex_mtg]

Yeah, mutate is perfect for this deck, I would recommend it!