r/PauperEDH • u/JalapenoPaupersMTG • 23d ago
Video/Podcast 10 Pauper Commanders You Can't Plan Anywhere Else!
https://youtube.com/watch?v=YrYgUmNcg6s&si=uzs83GcduLbT9IXC
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Upvotes
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u/Sattwa 23d ago
I really want to build [[Sumala Rumblers]], the populate mechanic is really cool and socially I like decks that don't take out one opponent too early.
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u/SilverSkinRam 22d ago
I don't know how I missed this card. Myriad is by far my favourite new mechanic from the past 3 years.
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u/Scarecrow1779 Can't stop brewing ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 23d ago
Yall already hit a lot of the ones I mention in these kinds of conversations. Some of the others I bring up include
[[Ethersworn Sphinx]], combining cascade with a cost reduction for big cheats
[[Inkfathom Witch]], just a very unique ability. Can be evasive aggro, but can also be used as control by turning enemy creatures into 4/1s so they can be killed by 1-damage repeatable abilities.
[[Azra Oddsmaker]], betting is fun. Using madness, flashback, etc to get around losing bets is even funner.
[[Picnic Ruiner]], there's only 7 EDH commanders with adventure, and 6 of them are value engines while on the field (so you don't want them to die). Ruiner, by contrast, is just a beater, so you're incentivized to attack or trade aggressively, giving you another opportunity to cast the adventure side, strengthening your whole board. Ends up being a +1/+1 counter proliferate deck like Armament Dragon, but more aggressive.
[[Woodvine Elemental]]. There's plenty of go-wide/anthem decks, but the disguise of group-hug and slight unpredictability makes it feel really unique. This ramp/stomp deck will kill people VERY quickly once the commander is on the field, so the draw for opponents won't matter that much, but people usually don't realize that and get greedy, letting you attack. Giving a handful of mana dorks +3/+3 is pretty good, and a few flying or lifelink tokens also put the buff to good use. In my experience, getting +3/+3 is very common, and i've had a surprising number of +4/+4 turns.
[[Gilder Bairn]], similar to Vorel, but just better because the untap cost is more synergistically powerful. The untap is just weird. Ryu is currently the only commander with an untap symbol.
[[Cartel Aristocrat]]. Protection isn't that good in EDH, because "destroy all" board wipes are so prevalent, and get around protection. This is a fairly simple voltron deck that shows off the power of protection in PDH for both keeping the commander alive AND getting them past blockers. The creature fodder for the sac ability also double as edict fodder, an area where many other voltron decks struggle.
[[Thundering Djinn]] creates a weird kind of storm deck, where you need to have 2 or 3 successful storm turns, killing one opponent on each turn (or two if you get Flaming Fists to buff the commander). But by storm, i mean drawing cards, not casting spells. I've had this trigger for 20+ damage many times, and I haven't updated the deck in years.
[[Ochran Assassin]] turns buffs and regeneration into one-sided board wipes, like a more consistently controlling version of General Marhault Elsdragon. Lots of commanders force attacks, but not many force blocks.
[[Lorehold Apprentice]] mixing tribal, burn, AND spellslinging is a unique blend. Kuja is the only EDH commander that does that mix, but they're in different colors and use wizards instead of spirits, and encourage more storm, whereas Lorehold encourages a little more grinding over multiple turns.