The Three-Cost Commander Challenge with Vihaan

Posted on May 21, 2024

Hello awesome folks! Recently on EDHREC.com, Arnaud posted a three-cost only challenge with a Bant legal Commander as an anniversary challenge which you can find here: From the (not quite) Brim to the (almost) Trim - Special Anniversary Edition - EDHREC! I wanted to do the same, and initially I called Kirri, Talented Sprout in Naya to do four-drops, but the Plants and Treefolk at that cost (about 40) and colors weren't many, so I swapped over to outlaw and Treasure caring Vihaan, Goldwaker with a much deeper pool at three (around 171 outlaws at the three-drop) although I pulled out of Green's ramp.

Vihaan costs three in Mardu and has a 3/3 body that gives outlaws (he's one too) haste to swing now and vigilance to keep back. Then he gives all Treasures you control 3/3 on your combat that are Assassins for giving haste to swing now and vigilance to keep them to tap for mana post-attack. He's a win con with Treasures and helps speed up wins with his tribe too.

Let's see what we can do with my tribe and Treasures matter combo!

Mana, Ramp, Rocks, Land

Let's start with three-drops in my colors in three different types! Red? This is a Treasure mana rock that taps for R and then you toss a counter here, and can tap sac for mana equal to the counters in one color. The Black enchantment will make a Treasure and lose life in your precombat, or draw and two or make a 3/2 outlaw for three, or all three or two. The White dork, outlaw, has a 3/3 body with vigilance on curve, and will ramp a Plains from your deck to the battlefield tapped up to twice if a foe has more lands. Love this trio loads!

Now let's turn to card drawing Manaliths that cost three, and then tap for mana of any of my colors. Intelligence Bobblehead will tap with five to draw equal to my Bobblehead count. I tossed in Luck Bobblehead to make Treasures too. Bonder's Ornament taps with four to draw just once, but your foes with this also draw one too.

Now let's turn to lands, and we'll start with Treasure makers! Treasure Vault taps for colorless, and taps with XX to self sacrifice and make X Treasures for future ramping! Mines of Moria usually ETBs tapped, and then taps for red mana. You can tap it with four to make two Treasures if you exile three from your graveyard, love it here!

Let's finish with win-con lands since we won't have many in my three-drop section. The non-Desert taps for colorless, ETBs tapped so you'll take a turn off, and then it or another land ETBs, you'll make a free Black Zombie 2/2 if you control at least 7 lands with different names. The Desert ETBs tapped, taps for any of your colors, and then turns into a 3/3 dork with reach to block for three mana. I have all feasible man-lands here, like the Restless trio or Hive of the Eye Tyrant.

Outlaw Stuff and Treasures Matter

Now let's turn to other stuff. The Rakdos three-drop legendary dork has a 3/2 first strike, haste, body and wants to swing to make a Treasure token. Then you can, sac five Treasures to steal a dork for as long as you control this, but as sorcery speed only. He's a Merc too. The mono-Red one rocks an ETBs and makes you a Treasure. Then when you attack, you can sac a Teasure to give that dork double strike to kill fast there. He's a Rogue too!

Now let's turn to Treasure synergy! Academy Manufactor says that when you make a Food, Clue, or Treasure, make each instead. The Reaver Cleaver equips for three, and your dork nets trample and a +1/+1 boost in size. It has a combat damage trigger too, don't sleep on that, to make that many Treasure tokens! That's our best Treasure Maker since it gets evasion, boosted size, and then can make tons to win now.

Synergies and Backup Winning Conditions

Now let's turn to synergies and backup non-Treasure win cons! The Assault costs three, activates for five, untaps your team and gives you another attack this turn. The Sword equips for two, gives pro Black and Green to slip past, and has a combat damage trigger to have your foe discard, and untap your lands. You tap out for Assault and more stuff if possible, attack, trigger, untap and keep on attacking until someone has died. I also tossed in Wealth and Power to give you hard to interact with pro instants and sorceries and then you'll make a Treasure when you deal that combat damage and maybe get a free copy.

Now let's turn to my second Commander, Jan. Also in my colors, 3/3 body with haste, and two taps, you can tap to sac a noncreature arty to make two Construct tokens, or an arty dork to make two Treasure. Ideally, you'll use this post combat to sac a Treasure that's a dork to make two. Or you can sac Food from the Manufacturer to make two 1/1s. Mari, the Killing Quill is just mono-Black, with a 3/2 body that when an opposing dork dies will be exiled with a hit counter. She's an Assassin too, and then gives them, Mercs and Rogues deathtouch to trade up, and a combat damage trigger to pull off a hit counter and make two Treasures and draw that sweet card! Love it loads!

Because Back in Town costs a base of three mana, it can be run here, and it'll recur X outlaws. Use this for Zombify'ing all of that good stuff! Breena, the Demagogue (outlaw) has a flying and blocking 1/3 body, and then a trigger when a player deals combat damage to your foe. You too! The damage dealer will draw, and you'll toss two +1/+1 counters on a dork you control too. Forcing everyone to attack each other for cards is awesome!

Let's finish with this White pair! The shapeshifter with changeling to be an outlaw can be a mana sink for X mana to make your team all outlaws to get haste and vigilance this turn, and then grab a win from nowhere. The Artificer (sorry outlaw fans) has a blockable 2/4 body and then a cast trigger for dorks to make a free 1/1 going wide artifact dork that can be sacced for two Treasures with Jan, or to copy a token artifact you control, like a Treasure or Clue to make more Treasures. I'm sure you can see why it's here!

Answers

Now let's turn to answers, and this was the easiest to find good stuff for since three mana answers are pretty common. The best is Teferi's Protection that makes your life total unable to be changed, and all of your stuff will phase out, so you'll shut down any removal or stuff coming your way. Deflecting Swat will redirect a targeted spell or ability to something more advantageous to your board position. And it's free if you control Vihaan. Love this duo loads!

Now let's turn to targeted removal at the three-drop spot. The dork is an uncommon Orzhov Assassin (outlaw) and on arrival you can sac another dork (Treasure post combat is great) to destroy any nonland permanent. Nasty! The instant will exile anything that ain't a land, but you'll swap three life, exiling removal is nasty since it cannot be answered with indestructible.

Now let's finish with mass removal, even in a deck like this one that's needed. Since most good overloads base at two (Mizzium Mortars), Toxic Deluge is the best you have access to! It will get around indestructible too. Rush of Dread costs three base, and can be +1ed into a foe losing half their dorks, +2ed for half of their hand, and another +2ed for half of their life, and you can split this among multiplayer as needed. It's a great mana sink too, for later in the game!

Card Flow

Now let's turn to card draw and flow! The Black enchantment swaps one life in your upkeep for one card, it's a Commander Classic! I also tossed in land aura Underworld Connections. The White one will draw a card in each end step if that person drew two or more that turn. That's a lot of potential card draw. You'll have the shot for a Treasure if two or more lands arrived too, much less likely.

Now let's turn to Rakdos stuff. Fable of the Mirror-Breaker makes a 2/2 that attacks and make a Treasure, or can discard two to draw that many for card flow. Love it loads here! Mastermind Plum has a 2/2 body and when it attacks you can exile a card from a graveyard for recursion removal and if it was an artifact, you'll make a free Treasure. Then when you cast a spell with Treasures, draw a card and lose a life.

Let's finish with this pair in all of my colors! The Rakdos Rogue will make my stuff Mercs for haste and vigilance, and then at the beginning of my upkeep I'll exile my outlaw count of cards from my foe's library, and then cast them this turn with any mana color! The White one has a 2/3 size, at the beginning of my upkeep, make a free Treasure if someone has more lands, and then you spend three to give a Treasure to a foe and draw a card! It's a strong duo here to finish things out with!

Let's look at my deck!