Building Your First Commander Step 4 - Synergies and Winning Conditions

Posted on April 18, 2023

Hello awesome potential Commander fans! Happiest of days to you! Where do you start building up your first Commander brew? It's rough! There are more than 24k cards and 1600 Commanders. Plus, the Highlander aspect is intimidating, the Commander finance can be rough and loads more difficult roadblocks are for your first Commander, enter this series!

We are breaking up building a Commander into several smaller steps for you folks. We are also building three decks in these stages with different themes, colors, and budgets. We had one randomly chosen, one Top Ten Archetype, and one Top Ten Creature Type.

Here were my previous Steps:

Step 1 - Choosing Your Commander and Budget

Step 2 - The Mana and the Lands

Step 3 - Card Flow and Answers

Here's how I approach this week: every deck needs ways to win. For example, suppose that we had the Top Ten Archetype "Spellslinger" that casts a bunch of instants and sorceries and then triggers "cast-matters" permanents. You would have added in the key card flow and answer instant and sorceries in the previous week, and now you are adding in those permanents like Guttersnipe and Young Pyromancer. Make sense? Those are synergies that your deck is based around. This is also the week we'll add in alternate winning conditions if the first one is shut down.

This is also the step where I add recursion and tutor effects like Demonic Tutor or Living Death. For creature tribe decks, this is where you add your creature tribe pumping like the Soldier-pumping Field Marshal or the Zombie-recurring Lord of the Undead. This is also where I add in key planeswalkers too.

How many cards will depend on your deck? Spellslinger might add in 15-18 permanents to trigger. Creature types could add in 5-10 Lords and creature pumps, as well as things like giving them a cheaper cost in Goblin Warchief or card flow with Brass Herald.

Typically, I add in around 10-20 cards in the Synergy and Win-Con section of my deck for all things total. But with two decks with deep synergies this week, we'll just be doing that.

As a reminder, here are my decks and budgets

Deck #1: Dimir Saboteur with Milling Backup around Zareth San, the Trickster; Budget Under $100

Deck #2: Boros Equipment with Partners Ardenn, Intrepid Archaeologist and Rograkh, Son of Rohgah; Budget-conscious, Everything under $30.

Deck #3: Golgari Elves with Abomination of Llanowar; No Budget

Deck 1: Zareth San

This week we'll be adding in my key milling backup win-con as well as synergies to punish our foe. As a reminder, this deck is built around Zareth's combat damage to a player trigger, which WOTC calls "Saboteur," This week we'll also add in ways to get in punches from Zareth San and the rest of my Dimir Saboteur team!

After 40 lands and 39 other cards, we have 21 spots left to add in.

Budget Used - $55.85

Last time I tossed in the powerful and pricey Damnation as a surprise, and if I wind up with lower than my budget later I might upgrade some other cards. As a reminder, basics don't count for my budget.

Let's start with unblockable stuff

These cost $2.50-$3.00

1 Trailblazer's Boots

1 Whispersilk Cloak

The Cloak is one of the classic "cannot be blocked" cards ever printed, since nothing can be done to stop it. It's also good at shutting down targeted removal with the shroud it gives, so that's very strong too at keeping your Commander from being targeted. Note that this gives shroud, so you cannot target your option yourself. Also remember that I tossed in Rogue's Passage in my landbase a couple of weeks ago.

This costs 1.49

One of the key things I wanted to add to this brew was this admittedly expensive 6 drop Archetype that's an enchantment and a dork. This 3/2 gives your entire team flying, so it works to give your Saboteur abilities evasion including your leader, even if they don't have evasion normally. Then it pulls flying from your foes, so that will stop them from blocking your flyers with anything other than reach, pretty rare in Commander as most just run flyers. It's very strong at getting your team into battle positions and then combat damage triggers result!

This costs 1.25

1 Prowler's Helm

This costs 25 cents

Check out this cheap uncommon that costs just two mana to drop. This is a 1/3 that counts as a Rogue for those who care. When it deals combat damage to a foe, they lose a life, mill a card, and you gain a life and scry 1. Life gain for you, life loss for them is great, and then getting a mill and then a scry 1 is nice too. Then when you attack, you can spend 2 generic mana to make a dork unblockable. That's very strong here, and note that Krydle doesn't need to attack himself to get the attack trigger, so you can drop him precombat, attack and pay two and then make a key combat trigger dork unblockable. Nasty stuff here!

Total for Unblockable Stuff - 5 cards added, budget - $8.47 - total $64.32

Now let's turn to Milling.

This costs 5.99

1 Mind Grind

This costs 4.49

You can have all of your foes mill 8, so that's pretty beefy milling fun times. If you kick it at 6 mana total, then they mill half, which will give you tons of options to dig into with your leader's combat damage trigger. It's very strong at the game winning and synergies.

These cost 50-99 cents

1 Fractured Sanity

1 Breach the Multiverse

1 Necromaster Dragon

1 Cut Your Losses

Breach mills everyone 10 cards, you too. Then for each player, you put a creature or planeswalker from their graveyard to your battlefield. That's nasty in a 4-player game, where you get 4 options and with your milling you could really get a lot of great options! It's very strong in kitchen table play and made my Top Ten Cards from March of the Machine last week which you can find here. It's very game-winning and milling powers combined with this sorcery.

The latter two are bulk rares that cost less than a buck combined. The sorcery is a six=drop that forces one foe to mill half of their library, again very strong here. It also has casualty 2, so you can sacrifice a dork with a power of 2 or more to copy it and hit another player (or the same player twice). The creature is a five-drop, with flying and 4/4, so it's on curve. Then when it deals combat damage to a player you can pay 2 generic mana to make a 2/2 Zombie token and then each foe mills 2 cards, so it's milling and token making. With flying it can get that combat damage trigger more reliably! Note that the token can be sacrificed to the casualty.

This costs 0.35

Check out this one-drop 1/1 Merfolk Rogue with flying. Note Rogue. Then when it deals combat damage to a player, they mill one. With a flying one drop body that can be swinging early and often? Got it all day long here!

Next up is a pair of bulk commons, less than a quarter each. Eye Collector is a one-drop with flying and a size of 1/1. Then when it deals damage to a player, you have each player mill one (you too). That's very strong and dials up in power against more players in multiplayer. Shriekgeist is a two-drop 1/1 with flying too, and then when it deals combat damage to a player, now they mill 2 instead of 1. That's very strong on the second turn. All three of these are early drops and with the milling and flying they are synergetic here.

Milling Total 9 - Budget - $13.85 - total 78.17

Other Synergies

Now let's turn to other synergies. $0.99 for this fun bulk mythic rare. This five-drop is a Horror Pirate with a 3/6 body that gives your Horrors menace including itself, so it has a form of evasion. It has a combat damage trigger for your Horrors too. That person mills that many cards, so here that would be 3 damage into 3 mills. Then in your end step you put an artifact or creatures from your opponent's graveyard to your battlefield that was put there this turn. That plays right into your infrastructure of millings and opposing graveyard recursion of your Commander already, and adds that to your battlefield.

Synergies and Winning Conditions added

1 Archetype of Imagination

1 Captain N'ghathrod

1 Eye Collector

1 Krydle of Baldur's Gate

1 Merfolk Windrobber

1 Necromaster Dragon

1 Shriekgeist

1 Breach the Multiverse

1 Cut Your Losses

1 Fractured Sanity

1 Maddening Cacophony

1 Mind Grind

1 Prowler's Helm

1 Trailblazer's Boots

1 Whispersilk Cloak

Total Budget for 15 cards - $79.16

Other cards to add include Sun Quan, Lord of Wu; Sword of Fire and Ice; Rise of the Dark Realms; Altar of the Brood; Sword of the Animist; Jace, Memory Adept; Lightning Greaves.

Here's my deck now after Step 4:

Zareth San after Step 4 | Commander | Abe Sargent

Commander (1)
1 Zareth San, the Trickster

Enchantments (1)
1 Reconnaissance Mission

That's 94 total done! I have space for 6 more cards in our final step next week, "Filling it Out." And we have space for $20.84 in those 6 cards, so I might spend that budget upgrading cards here and there.

Deck #2: Boros Equipment with Ardenn and Rograkh

Here are my two uncommon Boros partners in crime:

This pair is very strong at the kitchen table. My goal is to drop Rograkh on turn 1 with a 1-drop equipment, then turn 2 equipment, then turn 3 Ardenn precombat, move to equipment to Rograkh and then swing on turn three pumped up with his two natural evasions in menace and trample. As a reminder this deck is budget conscious and won't play anything more than $30 like Sword of Fire and Ice or Deflecting Swat.

This week we are adding in key engines and synergies and winning conditions. As we detailed last week, key synergies with card flow attached like Sram and Puresteel Paladin are already here. This is where we'll add key things to equip as backups to Rograkh, and other key synergies and planeswalkers. This time we don't have the key milling vs unblockable suite like the previous one. Ready?

Synergies and Winning Conditions

As I mentioned above, this is where I put in my tutors. Check out this pair! The creature is a five-drop 4/4 with vigilance that can swing and then tap for two mana too. That's pretty strong here with all of the swinging at open players and then tapping for two mana. Then you search your library for an equipment, and put it into the battlefield attached. That's our best Tutor. Check out the Class. This two-drop will ETB and fetch up an equipment and put it into your hand. Then you can level it up for three mana once to drop your equip costs by 2 each, which could pay for itself in just one or two turns. Then for five more mana you can make a dork block when you swing so that's creature removal. Nasty combo! I also tossed in Open the Armory, Steelshaper's Gift and Godo, Bandit Warlord.

As I mentioned before, this section is also where I toss in key recursion like Open the Vaults and Brilliant Restoration. One of the first mass recursion spells for artifacts and enchantments both was Open. It cost six, and the recurs both types, but for everyone. It is the Twilight's Call of artifacts and enchantments. It's very strong here! Then the just printed quad W 7 cost sorcery Restoration is here. It returns both types as well, but just from your graveyard not your opponents' stuff. This pair are very strong at the recursion en masse.

You'll also recall that this section is where I toss in planeswalkers and backup Commanders. Check out this pair of Nahiris that are both! The former Nahiri is a 4-loyalty 'walker with a +1 that makes a dork and equips it for free. Then the -2 will dig six and draw you an Equipment or Warrior from your library. Card flow. Then the -3 will deal damage to a target listed that is double your equipment count. All three can be done with her initial loyalty. Nasty synergy! The latter Nahiri is a five-drop 3 loyalty with +2 to make a dork and equip it. Then you can -2 to drop an equipment from your hand or graveyard for free. See how both + abilities make and then equip for free? That's why I called them backup Commanders as they give you another free equipping like Ardenn.

Sigarda's Aid and Halvar, God of Battle will also back up Ardenn. The Aid is a brilliant one-drop you'll love to drop alongside Rograkh. Then your Equipments and Auras are played with flash. That's very strong here with the flashery. Then your equipment equips for free on arrival to the battlefield. Free equips and flashes means this turns your equipment into combat tricks. Free equips also backs up Ardenn. The God is a four-drop 4/4 with the ability to give your equipped and enchanted things double strike thus speeding up their killing by turns. Also, in your combat you can attach an aura or equipment to another for free, another backup Ardenn while making Rograkh better.

Check out this pair of enhancers! The legendary is a four-drop 5/3 Warrior. On curve. Then your creatures that are equipped get two bonus power per equipment on them! That will speed up a Rograkh kill via Commander Damage by turns. It also can be a backup Rograkh himself since it doesn't say "other." Also, you can get one free equipment each turn, so he's a backup Ardenn too. The non-legendary one a three-drop 3/3 that's also on curve. It gives your Commanders +2/+2 each and then indestructible to protect them from destruction-based removal. Or combat damage as well. Nice in any partner.

A pair of damage enhancers to finish this section! Jeska, Thrice Reborn is also a planeswalker, this time costing three and will arrive with two counters after you've dropped your two Commanders on turn 1 and 3. Then you can 0 her in the precombat phase to triple Rograkh's damage that turn. That's a really strong speeding of damage effect. Kediss, Emberclaw Familiar could be cast on turn 2 between your Commanders, although that may get it killed so I wouldn't. When your Commanders deal combat damage to a player? Deal that much to every other player. Both of those are faster clocks!

Synergies and Win-Cons Added

1 Bastion Protector

1 Bruenor Battlehammer

1 Godo, Bandit Warlord

1 Halvar, God of Battle // Sword of the Realms

1 Kediss, Emberclaw Familiar

1 Leonin Abunas

1 Stonehewer Giant

1 Brilliant Restoration

1 Open the Armory

1 Open the Vaults

1 Steelshaper's Gift

1 Jeska, Thrice Reborn

1 Nahiri, Heir of the Ancients

1 Nahiri, the Lithomancer

1 Fighter Class

1 Sigarda's Aid

Wanna see my deck now?

Deck #3: Golgari Elves with Abomination of Llanowar; No Budget

This three-drop wants to get big, and smash for a Commander damage kill like the first two. Then it wants to drop a bunch of Elves, and also self-mill some and then swing for the fences.

After last week, there's room for 23 more!

This deck also wants to get in hits, drop a Mana Elf turn 1 and Abomination turn two, and swing for the fences. It doesn't have a budget, but I didn't toss in cards like Gaea's Cradle or Bayou either. We already have some Lords in here for mana or card draw like Elvish Archdruid or Priest of Titania. I have 23 slots and we'll use up bunches this week.

Synergies and Winning Conditions

Let's start with some mass life gain spells. Rhys was printed in Morningtide, an Elf-Creature Type set. He's a 3/2 and the first ability is to gain you a life when he swings equal to your Elf count. That's very strong here! We can use the infrastructure to keep our Commander from being blocked on him to ensure that we are getting this recursively. Then you can spend a mana, sacrifice an Elf, and regenerate to save him. That regeneration can save from all kinds of removal. Then you can run the 'Wisher, which is a 2-drop 1/1 common. When you tap it, gain life equal to your Elf count, and then do it again and again and again.

Why am I running life gain like this pair in a 40-life format like Commander? Great question! Both of these can gain you 5 or 8 life each trigger, and can really push your life total up a lot. That'll help protect you when you swing for wins, and leave behind few things. Also note that barring Glorious Anthem effects, your dorks are smaller than others, so you can allow in attacks without chump blocking and then keep your stuff for after an Anthem effect drops. Also, there's not a big opportunity cost here, we're just running these two Elves. Hope that helps to answer your question!

Now let's turn to these two tap pumpers. The Magistrate was printed in the same block as Rhys. Then when this four-drop 2/2 taps, you can put a +1/+1 counter on a target dork equal to your Elf count. Ideally, this will be your Abomination of Llanowar that will get bigger for a faster Commander damage clock. Note this is a permanent pump so you can do it a few times to end games quickly. You can also use it defensively to protect yourself from a big attacker like Silvos, Rogue Elemental to keep back. You can also run the Timberwatch option with the same pump ability on a 1/2 three-drop, but it's temporary. Don't run them both at the same time if you draw the other, since they are the only two of this pair in your deck, to protect against mass removal.

Now let's turn to two mass black sorcery removal spells: Patriarch's Bidding and Haunting Voyage. Name Elves when you resolve it to return all Elves from all graveyards, your foe's as well. Then they each can choose a type to return as well. In multiplayer this is a Twilight's Call for 5 since everyone will name a different type. It's very strong here since you are self-milling and losing your Elves in combat and to removal, so you can load up your graveyard with the goodies and then recur them in mass. The Voyage costs 6 and you call out Elf and then return two Elves back, and just you. But here you want to foretell it on one turn and then cast it on another for 7 and recur all Elves just like the Bidding, but just yours. That's why it's here taking up a precious spot.

Now let's turn to more synergies. Tyvar is our only planeswalker in the set. This four-drop, 3-loyalty is a bit low there, but with four abilities. First, all of your Elves will tap for mana. That's a very strong mana making static ability you have there. Then his +1 will put a +1/+1 counter on an Elf, untap it, and gives it deathtouch. That untap is very strong here with the common powerful Trinity of Tapping Terror - Wellwisher, Priest of Titania or Timberwatch Elf. It's also nice with the +1/+1 counter for permanent and deathtouch for an attacker to not get blocked since no one wants to trade down. Then his 0 will make a free 1/1 Elf Warrior token, giving deathtouch too, adding to your Abomination count and loads more fun things.

The Saga costs four, and then on arrival to the battlefield will self-mill three and then put an Elf or Tyvar onto your battlefield from your graveyard. Self-mill and recursion? That's very strong in this four-drop. Then on chapter II you'll Titania's Boon and put +1/+1 counters on your Elves. Chapter III will shrink the size of your blockers from your Elf attackers this turn which can be removal. It's very good here!

Let's turn to another pair of "Number of Elf Matters" cards. Crown of Skemfar aura costs four and gives the enchanted dork a permanent power and toughness boost equal to your Elf count. And reach, which is good with its vigilance since it'll be so big. It's a legit wincon. Then you can return it from your graveyard to your hand for three mana, so if you ,mill it or it dies, then it'll come back. Elven Ambush costs four, and the makes Elf tokens equal to your Elf count, which should be pretty powerful. Note the instant status makes this a combat trick or EOT and then untap and attack with your newly minted team. I also tossed in the sorcery version of this called Elvish Promenade.

Let's finish this section and deck with this duo! The sorcery wins games. It costs four, gives your entire team trample, +1/+1 and infect. All you have to deal is 10 damage to each foe to kill them instead of 40. And then that can be easily spread out among your other opponents to kill them all in one fell swoop outta nowhere.

The creature is also a four cost this time on a 2/3 Elf with menace- so evasion. When it deals combat to a player, you'll make that damage in Elf tokens of the 1/1 variety. This is also a great option for the Crown, Timberwatch tapping, and more, since it'll smash for a lot of Elves. It serves as a backup Abomination, but it's great making those tokens en masse to really pump him up. You can also tap ten Elves and him to drain 10 life from each foe, so he's a win con and backup Commander in one card.