Hello happy Commander and budget fans! Ever wanted to build a Commander deck that was cheaper than some key Commander staples like Cyclonic Rift? I got you! Enter this series, where each deck (not including basic lands) must come in under the budget of the previous one. That was $32.25, so this deck must come in under that amount. Ready for the beginning of this fun thing?

This series began when other "budget" Commander decks were coming in at around 200 or 250 or even a cheaper 100. Nope! That's not cheap, as someone unemployed for a while still playing the game, this doesn't work well. We needed a realistic budget, enter this series!

Welcome to this fun series! So, who am I building around today?

This mono-Green 2/5 mythic. Although he's a mythic, he costs just $1.49 here. That makes him a bulk rare mythic. He costs 4. Then when he, or another nontoken arrives, dig X where X is that dork's mana cost. Reveal a dork that doesn't share a creature type and put it into your hand. You dig deep, you get to choose, but only dorks that don't share a type, like Simic's Volo, this wants you to have all unique types to make it work. Since many of the better mono-Green unique types are high in the cost range, this will be a fun and unique build! Ready?

Mana, Ramp, Lands

Let's start with Green mana land ramping! Peregrination is a classic of my budget brews since it's a four-mana Cultivate that costs just a quarter and adds in scry, and then you can use that scry to set up Radagast's dig trigger. Partings is 0.15 for one that costs one, is a Lay of the Land variant and then makes you a Food too for the good stuff. You can get both for 40 cents. I also tossed in Cultivate variant Nissa's Pilgrimage which fetches two basic Forests for just 0.49 at their cheapest.

Now let's turn to lands! This pair cost 0.35 and 0.49. The uncommon ETBs tapped, adds one generic, then can be sacrificed for two to fetch out two Forests. Nice double ramp there in my lands, I also tossed in Blighted Woodland that costs 0.25 and also searches out two Forests. The rare taps for Green, ETBs tapped too, and then hideaway 4. Then when you have at least 10 power in your dorks, you can cast the exiled card at a steep discount! Card flow, for cheap, in your land zone! Good stuff.

Let's finish this section with a dork and land! This common pair cost 0.15 and 0.25! Gingerbread Cabin ETBs tapped unless you control three or more Forests - likely with my 34 basic Forests. Then when it ETBs untapped you make another Food. It counts as a Forest. I also have Sapseep Forest here that counts as a Forest and costs a quarter too. Ilysian Caryatid costs 2, rocks a 1/1 body, taps for any color of mana unless you have a dork with a power of 4 or more, then it'll tap for two. Nice ramping from a Plant! I also have here tappers like the Overgrown Battlement (0.25) and Ornithopter of Paradise (0.25)

Key Creatures

Now let's turn to some key Green dorks! Under a buck and a quarter for this pair. The Cat costs six with a rough casting cost. Then you get a 5/5 body with forestwalk, which should be quite common here with the many dual land running around and Green is pretty common. Then when he attacks or blocks, make a 2/2 Forestwalking Cat Warrior token that also sticks around, so he goes wide and tall and wins. Then the Demigod is a four-drop, four-mana X/3 where X is your devotion to Green - pretty common here in a deck with this many Green things. Then if that wasn't enough, your dorks ETB with an additional +1/+1 on them - nasty on a four-drop game winner.

A pair of 7-drop rare bulk rares here at 0.49 each! Emergent Woodwurm is a on a 4/4 body with backup 3. When it attacks, you can put a permanent with the same power as the Woodwurm or less onto your battlefield for free, that's very strong synergy here with the backup 3 giving it that ability this turn and on a much bigger power and toughness or you can just make this a 7/7 for future fun times.

Dawnglade Regent is a powerful 8/8. Then when it ETBs, you become the Monarch so that's card flow. If you are the Monarch your stuff has hexproof so it cannot be targeted by anything of your opponents. Nasty combo!

Synergies and Winning Conditions

Now let's turn to synergies and win-cons. This costs 0.99 and 0.25 respectively. Baru is key, and one of my best creatures. He costs 5, rocks a 4/4 body, and has Forestfall instead of landfall to pump your team by +1/+1 and give it trample so it's both synergetic with a going wide brew and winning of games in one card. The Saga was also printed in the same set! It's a one drop with six things. Each turn you can call out a different tribe, and then it arrives with another +1/+1 counter for free! That's very powerful synergy here!

Let's move to win cons. 0.99 and 0.25 for this next pair! Dungrove Elder costs a cheap 3, rocks hexproof to strop interaction, and then has a size equal to your Forest count and with 36 with the two nonbasics, that's likely to be all of your lands! Nasty hard to answer and going tall dork. Howl of the Night Pack costs 7 and makes a 2/2 Wolf equal to your Forest count. Very strong here. I also have here for a quarter Blanchwood Armor to give a size to your Forest count to anything, and that can turn Radagast into a Commander Damage win con.

Bulk rare pair: 0.49 and 0.75 cents! The Goat Hydra is my only X-sized dork, so that'll dig very deeply, but only cost as one for putting one into your hand. It arrives with X +1/+1 counters. Then your foes can spend mana to grow it permanently and send it attacking elsewhere, so that's very strong from where I am sitting. Then the Boar rocks vigilance, haste and trample on a 7 power body! When it ETBs, you give your team +2/+2 for that turn, that they get vigilance and trample - a win con and hasted dork on one stick! Very strong here!

Lost in the Woods is a five cost, and when someone attacks you (or your planeswalker) you reveal the top card of your library. Was it a Forest? Damage is prevented! Reach of Branches also costs 5, and makes a 2/5 Treefolk Shaman instantly to block or attack. Then when a Forest ETBs, you can return this to your hand from your graveyard for another make. It's a strong mana sink.

Card Flow and Answers

Now let's turn to card flow and answers! Quarter and forty-nine cents! The uncommon costs 4, is a sorcery, and draws 3, it's classic of the format. You might be surprised by how cheap it is. The rare costs one more, gives your dork +3/+3 and trample this turn, and then when the dork deals combat damage this turn draw that many cards! Nasty! And that works on bigger things like the lack of trampling Dungrove Elder we saw earlier or other fat things without trample.

Shamanic Revelation costs 50 cents and draws equal to your dork count, so that should easily refill your hand here. You are likely to gain some life as well! The $1 Lifecrafter's Bestiary costs three, and then you scry 1 in your upkeep, so that helps with what you draw in your draw step, plus you can pay to draw extra cards when you cast creatures!

Just like the Bestiary, Soul of the Harvest costs 99 cents will draw you a card each time a non-token enters the battlefield. It costs six, and is on a trampling 6/6 body, so it's on curve! I am running Primordial Sage that costs 75 cents for its cheapest version that plays into this space, don't run more than one of these three at a time since they are in the same space.

Our token Beast Indrik Stomphowler costs a quarter and rocks a 5-mana 4/4 body. On arrival to the battlefield, you destroy an artifact or enchantment. It digs 5 with your Radagast out; I love this so much I have three other Stomphowlers here that also cost a quarter in Acidic Slime, Reclamation Sage and Conclave Naturalists.

Now let's turn to spell-based answers. We need answers to answers, enter the instant. This one-cost common will give a dork you control a +1/+1 counter at instant speed to be a combat trick and hexproof to counter or save something from a targeted removal spell like Generous Gift or Cyclonic Rift. It costs just 0.25!

We also have the two-cost Bombadil's Song that costs 15 cents and does the same thing and tempts you, all good stuff with a go-wide Ringbearer stuff. Then we need removal. 0.49 for the mass removal sorcery. It costs 4, gives everyone with an artifact or enchantment a 2/2 Bear, and then destroys them! We only have three artifacts here, one of which sacrifices itself (Mind Stone). Then we have a handful of enchantments but nothing massive. With the love of artifacts and Treasures in modern Commander, this is quite the potent little puppy.

Now let's turn back to creatures. The Spider costs 0.49 on the secondary market. For a five-mana investment, you net a 2/7 Spider with reach. Then you can sweep the sky for X damage, and our only flyers are Jugan and the Ornithopter, either of which you are fine losing here. And the uncommon costs just 0.25! For two you get a powerful 3/2 body. Then you can sacrifice it for one generic mana to destroy an artifact, enchantment or proliferate. It's here for removal, but don't sleep on the proliferate since we also have some ways of giving +1/+1 counters to here and there like the backup Wurm or the Hydra or the Saga as a combat trick.

And there we go! Wanna see my decklist? I got ya!

Radagast EDH | Commander | Abe Sargent

• Commander (1)
• 1 Radagast, the Brown

• Creatures (31)
• 1 Acidic Slime
• 1 Artisan of Kozilek
• 1 Baru, Fist of Krosa
• 1 Battle Mammoth
• 1 Beanstalk Giant
• 1 Brawn
• 1 Cankerbloom
• 1 Capricopian
• 1 Caustic Caterpillar
• 1 Conclave Naturalists
• 1 Dawnglade Regent
• 1 Dungrove Elder
• 1 Emergent Woodwurm
• 1 End-Raze Forerunners
• 1 Greater Tanuki
• 1 Ilysian Caryatid
• 1 Indrik Stomphowler
• 1 Jedit Ojanan of Efavra
• 1 Jugan, the Rising Star
• 1 Kogla, the Titan Ape
• 1 Loyal Guardian
• 1 Ohran Viper
• 1 Ornithopter of Paradise
• 1 Overgrown Battlement
• 1 Primordial Sage
• 1 Reclamation Sage
• 1 Renata, Called to the Hunt
• 1 Silklash Spider
• 1 Soul of the Harvest
• 1 Terastodon
• 1 Tranquil Frillback

• Instants (6)
• 1 Bombadil's Song
• 1 Harrow
• 1 Hunter's Insight
• 1 Return to Nature
• 1 Snakeskin Veil
• 1 Reach of Branches

• Sorceries (13)
• 1 Animist's Might
• 1 Explore
• 1 Fade from History
• 1 Harmonize
• 1 Howl of the Night Pack
• 1 Hunter's Prowess
• 1 Many Partings
• 1 Nissa's Pilgrimage
• 1 Nissa's Revelation
• 1 Peregrination
• 1 Rampant Growth
• 1 Search for Tomorrow
• 1 Shamanic Revelation

• Enchantments (5)
• 1 Blanchwood Armor
• 1 Colossal Majesty
• 1 Long List of the Ents
• 1 Lost in the Woods
• 1 Sylvan Anthem

• Artifacts (3)
• 1 Lifecrafter's Bestiary
• 1 Mind Stone
• 1 Moss Diamond

• Lands (41)
• 34 Forest
• 1 Blighted Woodland
• 1 Gingerbread Cabin
• 1 Mosswort Bridge
• 1 Myriad Landscape
• 1 Oran-Rief, the Vastwood
• 1 Rogue's Passage
• 1 Sapseep Forest

Buy This Deck Export text

Budget: 32.20 - five cents cheaper! I ran out of money and it's one land more than normal at 60/40. Nicely done.

List of All Types:

Avatar, Wizard, Elemental, Plant, Ooze, Beast, Dryad, Elf, Shaman, Elephant, Human, Druid, Giant, Spirit, Wall, Incarnation, Treefolk, Warrior, Ape, Goat, Hydra, Cat, Warrior, Boar, Eldrazi, Demigod, Elk, Wurm, Dragon, Spider, Dinosaur, Dog, Phyrexian, Fungus, Snake, Thopter, Rhino.

And there we go! I hope that you enjoyed my look at this budget version of Radagast from the latest set!

Budget Commander Appendix

If you enjoyed today's cheap Selesnya Rabit making build, great! Here are the first 65 Budget Commander Options for your wallet-friendly happiness and joy:

1. We kicked things off with Brion Stoutarm came in at $37.71
2. Next up was Ghave, Guru of Spores, with a budget of $36.48, is a lot of fun!
3. Talrand, Sky Summoner - $49.37. I increased the budget for this project due to the nature of the challenge, and it's the only entry in the series where the cost is increased rather than decreased.
4. Niv-Mizzet, Dracogenius is the next for our list rocking that $36.37 pricetag.
5. Princess Lucrezia and Riven Turnbull feature in this fun throwback Commander deck that is just $35.68.
6. Roon of the Hidden Realm demonstrates one of the Commander 2013 dorks in a $35.29 shell.
7. Vhati il-Dal runs the table for just $35.17. It's also one of the more unique entries in this project.
8. With all of the latest draconic lovin', Bladewing the Risen comes just a few cents less at $35.13. http://www.gatheringmagic.com/abesargent-042114-budget-commander-8-budget-bladewing/
9. Lu Xun, Scholar General may not be a powerhouse, but there's enough utility under here to spark a very interesting EDH deck for just $35.07.
10. Bosh, Iron Golem was a fun mono-red artifact centric deck that hits $35.06. That's right, one cent cheaper! It's a fun and different take on artifacts than good ol' Brago will be next.
11. Brago, King Eternal is featured with a different artifact theme and a $35.04 budget.
12. Let's finally get below that $35 mark with Lin Sivvi and her rebel horde! $34.98 for the witness.
13. Wedges are cool. So is Teneb, the Harvester! $34.94 gets us a deck that wins and has fun.
14. Who likes Surrak Dragonclaw? Who likes making a face-smashing deck for just $34.83? This guy!
15. Tolsimir Wolfblood? $34.73? Selesnya aggro? We've got it in spades!
16. Alesha, Who Smiles at Death is ready to bring some serious recursion, beats, and a modest budget to boot at $34.62.
17. Want to Dragon up your deck? Why not roll with Dragonlord Kolaghan for $34.47.
18. Who's thumping those mono-green beats with the Yeva, Nature's Herald stylings? Who clocks in at just $34.39? This article!
19. Want to donate some stuff, play some politics, and draw a ton of cards? Then check out this Zedruu the Greathearted deck that came in at $34.29.
20. I have a notion that a Five Color deck would be a fun budget challenge. Horde of Notions is a blast of Elemental fun that clocks in at $34.17. Check it out!
21. Five color doesn't have to end with tribes. There are so many options that this Five Color Cromat deck with a bit of a smash-y board presence is ready to introduce itself to the red zone, and to winning. It also is just $34.20.
22. Sometimes it's really nice to see how far we can push a popular commander with a cheaper budget. That's where this Nekusar, the Mindrazer deck comes in, clocking in at $34.03
23. With a budget of just $33.98, this Daxos of Meletis deck is pretty cool without being too expensive. Check it out!
24. We have a Snake flavored Kaseto, Orochi Archmage deck with a lot of fun, Snakes, and budget goodness at $33.91.
25. Nahiri, the Lithomancer is calling for an equipment and Solider focused mono-white build that's just $33.85.
26. Who's Born to be Wild? Mina and Denn are! Check out this Gruul Smash deck with lands and fun for just $33.75.
27. Gods are cool, especially when they make you berries, fruits, and tasty veggies. Karametra, God of Harvests might fetch you a lot of lands and good times, but she won't set back your wallet. Check out her budget build, clocking in at $33.74
28. She beats with auras and fun, sailing over her foes. It's Bruna, Light of Alabaster! She's bringing a strong game at a cheap $33.69.
29. Rosheen Meanderer at $33.63 clocks in with a bunch of X spells and activations with a different take on the classic Elf-Ball deck.
30. We take a look at a very old school sort of guy, Boris Devilboon, from the original Legends set, and then build a $33.58 deck around our good demonic friends.
31. It's time for a bit of an Orzhov Control loving, built around Teysa, Envoy of Ghosts and featuring a ton of removal, control, and more, all for the low, low price of $33.56.
32. Captain Sisay leads a fun, legendary infused deck that has a lot of great cards and synergy, but a light price, checking in at $33.46.
33. Ertai, the Corrupted sacrifices creatures and enchantments to counter spells. For $33.35, we have a great control-esque deck with some groovy sacrificing love.
34. With a modest budget of $33.32, Kynaios and Tiro of Meletis have a fun event and morph focused theme, without running a bunch of cards from their Commander 2016 Appearance. Check them out!
35. Built around the Old-School combo of Prodigal Sorcerer and Fungusaur, this Commander deck features a number of cards that deal damage to your own creatures so they get better. It clocks in at a humble $33.26.
36. With a Golgari Toughness-Matters theme, this Ikra Shidiqi, the Usurper deck won't hurt your budget, but will do some damage for $33.15.
37. Grenzo, Dungeon Warden goes all crazy with graveyard and deck restocking shenanigans for a cheap $33.12. We even have an infinite combo in here!
38. Commander 2017 brings some powerful new options for Commander players everywhere. I put together a multiplayer-friendly control deck around Mathas, Fiend Seeker for just $33.10.
39. Don't you love the Izzet madness of Arjun, the Shifting Flame? No deck has more card drawing, or card drawing triggers, than this one! It clocks in at $33.04.
40. It doesn't have to be Halloween for you to enjoy the Monster Mash. Here we have a Grusilda, Monster Mash deck that enjoys mashing your dorks together, but not mashing your budget. It clocks in at $32.98
41. Don't Shatter your Budget with this build of the Shattergang Brothers, who's sacrificial ways won't sacrifice wallet, and just cost $32.94.
42. I saw Muldrotha, the Gravetide and I just fell in love with that face. Who wouldn't? Here's a graveyard abuse deck that won't break your bank, just your battlefield. And maybe some friendships. It was $32.89.
43. Who likes some Saprolings and having Fungal Fun? I do! Slimefoot, the Stowaway leads this cheap, flavorful deck that clocks in at $32.80. Every addition to the deck has to support the flavor of the Fungal concepts!
44. Who wants to untap and en-creature Arixmethes, Slumbering Isle? Who wants a fun budget build that's just $32.77? ME!
45. Next up is a budget build of Emmara, Soul of the Accord which is cheap and clocks in at $32.77. Check out it's token majesty!
46. I randomly selected Kefnet the Mindful for a random Commander challenge, and was inspired to combine my two series and build a Budget Commander deck around card-drawing and fun times with Kefnet! Check it out and it's $32.73 glory.
47. Let's build a fun graveyard and Mono-Green build around my second Portal: Three Kingdoms leader - Hua Tuo, Honored Physician. I really like this build, and for just $32.65, I hope you will too!
48. I built a fun budget Burn and Life gain deck around Firesong and Sunspeaker for a price tag of only $32.57! Want to check it out?
49. I built a fun deck around the partners Gorm the Great and Virtus the Veiled. This deck ran some cool cards, including the old school Basilisk and Lure combos. But it only cost $32.51. Don't you wanna check it out? Of course ya do!
50. For my 50th Budget Commander article, I decide to do something crazy! Let's build a Warrior themed deck around a very expensive Najeela, the Blade-Blossom, rather than my normal way of a budget leader. We come in at $42.45. You know you want to read it...
51. Want a Naya Gold deck? Literally? Built around the multicolored loving Rienne, Angel of Rebirth. It clocks it at $32.39. I know you want to find out how I ever could do that! Check it out!
52. I built a fun +1/+1 counter and enchantment-matters build around Eutropia the Twice-Favored for $32.33. Don't you wanna check it out?
53. I took the Skirmish deck I designed, Defy Death, and turned it into a Commander deck featuring Tariel, Reckoner of Souls for $32.28. Take a look and see what you think!
54. I created a fun token creature deck around Akim, the Soaring Wind from Commander 2020. It came in at $32.27! Enjoy it here!
55. I built a Mono-Blue scry and flying matters deck around the partners Eligeth, Crossroads Augur and Siani, Eye of the Storm, that came in under $32.23. It was fun! You can find it here!
56. I love a good crazy Commander to build around, like Hans Eriksson. My version of him ran cards like enrage led Dinosaurs, and mid-range cards you'd want to drop onto the battlefield with aplomb. The deck came in at $32.29. Want to check it out?
57. For my Selensya fans I built this crazy life gain and going wide build around Lathiel, the Bounteous Dawn! It came in at $32.27 just two cents fewer than #56! Enjoy it here!
58. I built a big spells matter and ramp Simic deck around partners from Commander Legends Brinelin, the Moon Kraken and Gilanra, Caller of Wirewood. It features X spells like Hydras and big spells a go go! The budget? Just $32.73! Check it out here.
59. If you want to check out a cheap Orzhov +1/+1 Counters Matter brew, great! I've got you covered! I built around Shaile, Dean of Radiance and Embrose, Dean of Shadow. The total for this awesome build is $32.68. You can view it here.
60. This deck came in at $32.65 and it's a Peasant version Axelrod Gunnsaron from the first set that introduced legendary stuff. This one lets you use the version from Legends instead of Chronicles and it's a powerful Rakdos deck that uses ways to trigger Axelrod's ability like giving him ping effects like Fire Whip, deathtouch ones like Bladebrand, and I built the rest of the deck around deathtouchers and pingers. You can check it out here.
61. Coming in at $32.60 was this mono-Black Jerren, Corrupted Bishop deck that cared about the Human tribe and going aggro. You can find it here!
62. I was excited to write a mono-Blue toughness-matters brew around Geralf, Visionary Stitcher. It came in at $32.56.
63. Then I created a deck around the incredibly popular Zaxara, the Exemplary and built and budget view of this powerful leader that came in at $32.54. Find it here!
64. I built a Sphinx matters mono-Blue build around Unesh, Criosphinx Sovereign that came in at $32.51! You can check out this bad boy here.
65. I built a Mono-Black, 1-power creature matters theme around Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker. This is a fun unique deck Budget Commander: Hurray Shirei! | Article by Abe Sargent (coolstuffinc.com) with a budget of $32.46.
66. I have a fun Rabbit-y deck led by Cadira, Caller of the Small that frumps around at $32.42- ready? Budget Commander: All the Rabbits with Cadira | Article by Abe Sargent (coolstuffinc.com)
67. For $32.42 I built an Izzet deck around the Kenrith Planeswalker Twins that you can find here - Budget Commander #67: Befriending the Kenrith Twins | Article by Abe Sargent (coolstuffinc.com)
68. I build a Boros Spellslinger and Power-pumping and token making build here - Budget Commander #68: Boros Spellslinger with Baird | Article by Abe Sargent (coolstuffinc.com) for $32.37 around Baird, Argivian Recruiter.
69. For my first colorless deck, I built a $32.25 (sorta, I split up and gave that price to both lands and non-lands) Voltron deck around Traxos which you can find here - Budget Commander #69 - Colorless Voltron with Traxos! | Article by Abe Sargent (coolstuffinc.com)
70. Since the cost of Doran, the Siege Tower had dropped to cheap limits, I built my first deck around him! You can find it here - Budget Commander #70 - Toughness Matters with Doran | Article by Abe Sargent (coolstuffinc.com) - my budget for this one was just $32.25 again.