My Saffi Eriksdotter EDH/Commander Deck

The recent talk around the formalisation of EDH, now officially named as Commander, has got everyone interested in the format. As a long time player, I'm excited to see the new cards and commanders designed specifically for these decks. If you aren't a regular EDH-er (or Commander-er now, I guess), now is a great time to get involved. The new releases are bound to inspire loads of new players, so picking up your format staples before they become any more expensive would be a good move.

The rules of Commander mainly vary from 'normal' Magic in the area of deck construction. Your Commander is the single most important card choice, and should drive the rest of your deck. The full rules can be found at the MTG Commander home page, along with the current banned list. Andy Pemberton has also written a helpful introduction to the format on the Team Leeds blog.

I thought it would be useful to give a more hands on introduction to the format, by having an in-depth look at my EDH deck. It has been constructed over several years, and features some of my favourite cards in the game, as well as representing exactly the kind of Magic that I find fun to play. As per the rules of EDH, it's 100 cards to the end of this article, I've got a full page of image links, half a glass of pineapple juice, it's dark, and I'm wearing slippers. Hit it.

The Commander

The Commander of a deck can tell you a lot about it. In the case of Saffi Eriksdotter, we have a commander that can hit the table early, and exert a subtle yet powerful influence on the game. She is unlikely to be dealing 21 points of damage to anyone, but does represent the constant incremental card advantage that this deck is looking to gain. Expect lots of creatures that have enters or leaves play effect. The restriction of the deck to two colours, especially with one being green, means the mana base should be consistant, and also powerful.

Basic Lands

It is tempting to go all out on exciting non-basic lands, especially in a format where we have access to every land ever printed (well, nearly - Karakas, Library of Alexandria and Tolarian Academy are off-limits). One important thing to bear in mind is the quantity of non-basic hate that has been printed through the years. Any mono-red deck is nearly guaranteed to sport both Blood Moon and Magus of the Moon. Other nasty surprises include Back to Basics, Price of Progress, Anathemancer and Fulminator Mage. Having a healthy supply of Plains and Forests is vital to be able to play all the other fun cards in this format.

Cycling Lands

Aside from the usual benfit of cycling lands to replace themselves later in the game, there are a number of cards in the deck that interact with them. Most notably Life from the Loam, which can generate an awful lot of card draw with a couple of these guys to work with.

Dual Lands

There have been plenty of dual land variations through the years, but the most important two to have are the original duals and the Ravnica shock-lands. Why? Because the land types on them mean they can easily be searched out by various means. In this deck there is the obvious fetch land in Windswept Heath, but also Krosan Verge and Eternal Dragon. The new Scars of Mirrodin land Razorverge Thicket is actually strictly better than Elfhame Palace, and will be replacing it in my next round of changes.

Utility Lands

This group of lands serve multiple purposes, but provide the general role of making sure the mana base can also function as additional spells if required. Dust Bowl and Strip Mine can both be very useful in keeping abusive lands like Cabal Coffers in check, or warding off opposing man-lands. In the more cut throat world of one on one duels, they can be used more offensively in conjunction with Crucible of Worlds or Life from the Loam to curtail the opponent's development.

Man Lands

Similar to the above utility lands, the man lands can count as spells when there is nothing more productive to be spending mana on. Urza's Factory and Vitu-Ghazi in particular can build up an army without turning into creatures themselves and being exposed to removal.

Little Guys

These smaller creatures can come down early to provide some defence. Aven Mindcensor serves as a pseudo-counter spell, Kitchen Finks interacts well with Saffi and Tarmogoyf earns his inclusion by being the most efficient creature ever printed. On the otherhand, Mistmeadow Skulk and Vinelasher Kudzu make it in by being two of my favourite Magic cards of all time. Note that the Mistmeadow Skulk must be the future-shifted version from Future Sight, the special frame adds an awesomeness multiplier of at least 6x.

Utility Guys

Having creatures that double up as spell effects is just as important as the lands. Even more so when Saffi gets involved. Oracle of Mul Daya and Seedborn Muse don't specifically combo with Saffi, but their effects are so powerful that it's still worth using a Saffi activation to bring them back into play. Other potential cards in this category include Knight of the Reliquary, Adarkar Valkyrie, Obstinate Baloth, Loxodon Hierarch and Brooding Saurian.

Card Advantage Guys

More card advantage generation than you can shake a stick at here! Each of these cards either replaces itself immediately or threatens to make life awkward for any player who messes with them. All of them are happy to see a Saffi Eriksdotter.

Genesis

Genesis. That is all.

Big Guys

The final group of creatures are the big guys to go about the business of actually winning the game. I've steered away from Darksteel Colossus and Eldrazi to reduce the risk of Bribery or Telemin Performance pulling them out of my deck for an opponent.

Planeswalkers

Planeswalkers provide a massive effect for the mana investment they require, especially in multi player games where having an extra 'player' on your side can help to swing games back in your favour. All three of these planeswalkers have useful defensive abilities, and the fact that the ultimate abilities won't win the game by themselves means that they are likely to stick around for a few turns at least.

Card Advantage

More card advantage spells (can you tell that I like drawing extra cards with this deck?) I've mentioned Life from the Loam already. Lurking Predators, Sylvan Library and Defense of the Heart are the enchantments that Academy Rector can find (along with Mirari's Wake, below). Predators and Library are both all-stars, but don't be surprised when they are killed on sight. Defense of the Heart has been less spectacular for me, mainly as I am not aiming to fetch a two creature combo to win the game with it. I plan to replace it with a Greater Good in my next round of deck changes. Mind's Eye is as close to an EDH must-play as you can get. Scroll Rack is less common to see, but does represent an awesome combo with Lurking Predators.

Removal

Plenty of removal spells mean that whatever the situation, there is normally at least one card that could be drawn to deal with it. Scrabbling Claws is a key choice; Relic of Progenitus would be a far more efficient way to clear out graveyards, but there are enough cards in this deck that interact with my own 'yard that the pin-point accuracy of the Claws is preferred. Saltblast is a card that everyone forgets exists, and is pretty much a mono-white Vindicate.

Tutors

The tutors add a little bit of consistency to the deck, usually as a way to get Duplicant to deal with some unreasonable monster on the other side of the board. Primal Command for Eternal Witness will usually lead to fun times as well.

Equipment

I've rotated the equipment in use quite a lot, and have previously packed Umezawa's Jitte, Tatsumasa, the Dragon's Fang, Skullclamp and so on. I've settled on these three as the best fit for my plans, although it is slightly annoying that a creature equipped with either Lightning Greaves or Sword of Light and Shadow can't be targeted by Saffi. I'm keen to find room to fit Sword of Body and Mind in too, just to complete the set!

Oddball Cards

These are the cards that don't really fit in any other category. While Vedalken Orrery is an EDH staple (or at least not unusual to see in play) the other three are very much my own innovation. Tawnos's Coffin is particularly fun, a lot of people don't have much artifact destruction, and the Coffin can do some pretty sick things with Seedborn Muse out. Oblation is my emergency general removal of choice, and is a pretty good political card to boot. Lammastide Weave is another obscure and extremely narrow card, but it always cantrips and can lead to some hilarious misfires when players are relying on tutors or such. The 'dream' is always to tutor Genesis to the top and name it with this, usually followed by a victory lap.

Mana Ramp

I've removed the other artifact mana, such as Mindstone or Selesnya Signet from the deck, since blowing them up with Akroma's Vengeance is awkward. Darksteel Ingot happily ignores that particular problem, and Sol Ring is so powerful that it is worth the risk of having to destroy it. Mirari's Wake is cheaper than Mana Reflection and has a bigger effect, so it gets the nod as the more versatile card.

Graveyard Recursion

Crucible went straight into the deck as soon as it was removed from the banned list, and will remain until it is banned again. While it can be used to recur Strip Mines, this isn't a very good way to make friends in a multi-player game. It is actually best used to bring back Krosan Verge, Horizon Canopy, or man lands that have bought a noble death on the field of battle.

So there you have it! My EDH deck dissected before your very eyes. I hope this has inspired you to build your own deck if you are new to the format, or given you some ideas for tweaking if you're an old hand. Let me know what your favourite EDH cards are, or if you have any suggestions for my deck, in the comments.

Steve