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Commanding Adeline

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Hello, awesome readers! I hope that your day is equally awesome as you are! Today I want to build a Commander deck around one of the most pushed Commanders in the set, but the problem is for most deck-builders, is that this mono-colored leader is in the color that many think is the worst - White. It's not, though!

This is my sixth build for you from Midnight Hunt. The first five were:

  1. Gisa, Glorious Resurrector - I first built around this Mono-Black leader that wants to kill foes with destruction effects like Damnation, -X/-X effects like Mutilate, sacrificing effects like Slum Reaper, and then triggers and reanimation and mono-Black ramping tools. It's a whole lot of fun! You can see the song I sung over here.
  2. Rem Karolus, Stalwart Slayer - In this Boros-based build I toss in a ton of damage-based mass removal that will keep your stuff alive if you survive, such as Rolling Earthquake and Blasphemous Act, as well as backup ways to keep your stuff alive like Iroas, God of Victory as well as triggers and damage dealers to people's face from burn like Stuffy Doll. Enjoy it here!
  3. Ludevic, Necrogenius // Olag, Ludevic's Hubris - This Dimir deck is deep is graveyard manipulation for Ludevic like creature tutoring such as Entomb and Buried Alive, milling like Ashiok, Sculptor of Fears, card drawing like Bitter Revelation, and great creatures to copy like Avatar of Woe. Check out this cool deck here.
  4. Florian, Voldaren Scion - This crazy build is all about that draining and pinging life from your foes in a number of ways. I build a Group Slug Rakdos deck. I have ways to keep you alive like Caverns of Despair and Maze of Ith. Ways to punish attackers like No Mercy and Cunning Rhetoric. I have draining effects like Subversion and Sanctum of Stone Fangs. I have Monarch-granting cards like Court of Ambition and Court of Ire. I have card drawing ways to punish others life like Xantcha, Sleeper Agent. It's great stuff. You can see it here!
  5. Dennick, Pious Apprentice - I wanted to build around two aspects of Dennick - firstly his graveyard protecting from removal, like Cremate, to build around Disturb, and I tossed in flashback cards as well. Those included Deep Analysis and Malevolent Hermit. I also tossed in more ways to protect my graveyard from removal like Leyline of Sanctity and Dismiss. Secondly, I loved how Dennick would shut down targeted reanimation and recursion, so I tossed in more hate bears, like Aven Mindcensor and Drannith Magistrate. To win we have lands like Hall of Storm Giants as well as mass token making flashbackers like Increasing Devotion. You can check out this duality here.

So, what card inspired today's brew?

Adeline, Resplendent Cathar

It's the first card in the set, Adeline, Resplendent Cathar! Despite the color issues there are 138 decks registered over at EDHREC.com which is a ton for a mono-White leader. But this thing is so pushed! Let's look at why.

3-Drop? Check! */4 - power and toughness, where * is your creature count? Awesome! Note that * is not other creatures, so you always get the bonus from Adeline herself. By having a set toughness, she won't be vulnerable to unknown damage and she's out of Lightning Bolt range. Vigilance so you can swing with your Commander and hold her back for real blockage with a solid 4 toughness.

When you swing at someone, (and note that it doesn't read "whenever you attack with Adeline") you create a 1/1 Human creature token attacking that player or a planeswalker they control. That means that you have, on a naked board, with just Adeline and the token, 3 damage coming their way. The Human sticks around, so you can win on a naked board with Adeline damage. If you divide your attack across all three people, then you get three Humans, and then Adeline increases by 3 power. Good stuff.

Imagine this play:

  • Turn one - A 2/1 1-drop like Savannah Lions
  • Turn two - A 2/2 2-drop Bear. Swing with Lions for 2 damage.
  • Turn three - Adeline. Attack for four and make 2 1/1 Humans, Deal 6 damage total
  • Turn four - Swing with Adeline at one player, the Bear at another, the Lions at a third, and the Humans wherever, make 3 tokens. Adeline is now an 8/4 with five 1/1 tokens, herself, and the Lions and Bear. You'll deal 16 damage across the board. Then cast a 4-drop or two 2-drops and keep on trucking! Shoot you can keep your mana back and hold onto it for responses like Teferi's Protection, and Adeline will kill in just a few Commander hits.

See how pushed she is?

You can see just how many deck-builders she has inspired.

Here are Commander decks with fewer builds from Midnight Hunt than Adeline:

  • Adeline - 138
  • Dennick - 57
  • Ludevic - 51
  • Rem Karolus - 125
  • Sigarda - 135
  • Saryth - 72

That's good that people care about Adeline more than those from the same set!

How do I want to build around her?

Mono-White Aggro. In order to get an 8-powered attacking Adeline on turn four, I need to make sure that I have enough 1 and 2-drops to make this thing work! Ideally, we could drop two 1-drops on turn two and then get 3 attackers on turn three for 3 1/1s, and then have a 10/4 Adeline on turn four attacking which will kill in two Commander hits.

That sounds like aggro to me, right? I don't expect to run many, if any, 3 or bigger drops unless they are a tool for card advantage like Mentor of the Meek. I am not wasting space on running Anthems in this build. Adeline does enough on her own to break the deck.

Hate Bears. I also like the idea of some Hate Bears in this week's brew as well as las week's, specifically those with a tempo-based thing that will tax my foes from casting answers like mass removal options.

Reactive Answers. We'll need answers like Teferi's Protection to keep the team alive through mass removal like Day of Judgment and Damnation. We cannot lean on Blue counters, so this will just be other answers.

Cheap Removal. In case some1-drops a powerful creature that will disrupt our board, and block the non-evasive Adeline, we'll need cheap removal like Swords to Plowshares to help create a path to victory.

Proactive Answers. This deck really needs Adeline to win. Protective ways to keep your foes from interacting with her, like Lightning Greaves, are essential.

Tokens. The wider our field the bigger our leader. If we want to push Adeline hard, add in cards that make tokens.

Evasion. Since we can win in a few hits with Adeline, and since she has no evasions, let's add some.

Melee and Battalion. Since we'll be attacking all foes each turn, we'll be able to trigger Melee for a lot of boosts. Since we'll be swinging with tons of bodies, Battalion should be a breeze.

Small Stuff Matters. Since most of my stuff will be small stuff, cheap small stuff matters will be added.

Eight-and-a-Half-Tails

As I mentioned above, this deck needs reactive answers. It needs the ability to say no to targeted removal or damage-based mass removal like Burn Down the House. I tossed in Mother of Runes and Giver of Runes which can tap to give a creature protection from a color that is targeting it. They can also tap and ensure that a key creature slips past a solo blocker since it cannot be blocked.

In addition to the Runes Sisters, I tossed in this legendary Fox Cleric. As you can see, it's a 2/2 for 2 mana, fine for the team. You can give any permanent you control pro-White! Unlike the Runes Sisters, this can be used multiple times since it doesn't tap, and you can swing with this and use it. If it's not White, no worries, you can change its color to White. Note that this will protect things like enchantments and Sol Rings and equipment as well. I love this so much I run it in my Commander Cube where it plays nicely (Check it out here).

Custodi Soulcaller
Frontline Medic

There weren't that many creatures with Melee and Battalion that I tossed in. The Soulcaller is great here! As you can see, it's a 1/2 for 3 mana and when you swing, it has Melee. Did you attack all of your foes? Now it's a 4/5. And you can activate its trigger and return a creature from your graveyard to the battlefield that's a 3-drop or smaller.

The Medic is also a Human Cleric. And then when you swing with it, if you swung with at least two other dorks, your whole team nets indestructible for the turn! It means you can swing, get blocked by much bigger foes, but you won't lose any creatures from combat, so you can be very aggressive in your swing-age. Good duo and good abilities for the deck!

Weathered Wayfarer
Loyal Warhound
Ambitious Farmhand // Seasoned Cathar

This deck needs land to keep up appearances. I am running just 33 lands proper and then 5 cards that either transform or are modal lands, so that's 38 total. I need to be able to drop Adeline on turn three and others on future turns, so I have cards like this trio here. The first card is an amazing 1-drop in a deck like this. If a foe has more lands than you (likely) then you can grab any land, not just basics, and tutor it to your hand. We have things like Strip Mine and Wasteland that you may want to fetch to takeout a nasty card that shuts you down such as Kor Haven and something dominating like Volrath's Stronghold, as well as other options. War Room? Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx? Get your unblockable land Rogue's Passage for Adeline beats? I got you!

Then we have the vigilance 2-drop 3/1 second card above, and that will net you a solid option if you are on the draw as someone is likely to have more lands than you that early, and it's a fine swinger in this brew as well. The last card is just a 1/1 for 2 mana but it will always net you a land, even if you are the one with the most land, or tied. Get that basic Plains! You can easily Coven it into a 3/3 lifelink as we have loads of dorks in here that are 1/1, and 2/2 and then Adeline.

Keleth, Sunmane Familiar
Militia Bugler

Check out these two dorks! Since this deck wants to go big with Adeline, I figured it would make sense to toss in Keleth. As you can see, you can drop him on the second turn, and when you swing with your team on turn four, you'll now have a 9/5 instead of an 8/4, and then the next turn you'll get to 13/6 instead which will kill in two Commander hits. Nasty! The Bugler is here for card advantage. It's a 3-drop 2/3 with vigilance. On arrival to the battlefield, you'll dig four and grab a creature with power 2 or less and toss it into your hand. Good card flow!

Haazda Marshal

Have you forgotten this uncommon 1-drop existed? It's my favorite one in the brew! When you swing with this 1/1 and two other dorks, then you'll net a 1/1 Soldier with lifelink! I like it a lot here. Like a lot a lot. It's like it has battalion.

Hushbringer
Spirit of the Labyrinth

Hate Bears Time! I don't have that many cards with enters-the-battlefield abilities, so instead we'll run hosers like the 2-drop 1/2 flying and lifelink Faerie. I like that it flies. It's here to hose ETB stuff that is abused at the kitchen table! It'll die quickly to opposing removal and save your more key stuff like Adeline. The Spirit is a powerful option as well at dropping folks. No one can draw more than one card per turn. Your card advantage comes from reanimation and stuff like that, not mega powerful card drawing powerhouses. This is a powerful 3/1 for 2 mana that swings with the best of them!

Order of Whiteclay
Return to the Ranks

Here's the card advantage I was talking about. The former is a powerful 1/4 for 3 mana. Swing with the team. Then untap it for 3 mana and return a dead 3-drop or smaller from your graveyard to the battlefield. Keep on trucking, and you'll net a lot of cards! The latter card is a powerful sorcery that can return a bunch of 2-drops (or less) from your graveyard to the battlefield. I love it after a mass removal spell as you can really keep up the pressure! Enjoy it!

Ranger-Captain of Eos
Ranger of Eos
Recruiter of the Guard

This trio also adds needed card flow to the deck, and all are my only Tutors in the brew. This group is a non-combo with Hushbringer but I only have two cards that hose ETB stuff and just a few ETB creatures, so they are unlikely to be running around at the same time. The ETB Hosers, in my experience, tend to be heavily targeted by removal, so if you have one of this trio and you control an ETB hoser, just wait.

When you drop the first card, which is a nice on-curve 3/3 for 3 mana, you can grab a 1-drop creature from your brew, and then shuffle. You'll likely have the mana to drop it. Then later you can sacrifice it and prevent your foes from casting noncreatures this turn. Do it on the upkeep of the turn you expect to kill with Commander damage. The second card is a 4-drop 3/2, and it tutors up two 1-drops from your deck to keep up the card flow. Good stuff! I love these after mass removal to keep up the pressure and body count. The last one is a smaller 1/1 for 3 mana, and on arrival will fetch a 2 toughness or smaller option. Grab the best Hate Bear for the situation, or something like Mentor of the Meek for card flow. Good stuff!

Martial Coup
Kabira Takedown

Every deck should run at least one mass removal spell, even a big creature deck like this one! Enter the Coup! Don't need a sweeper? Add four 1/1 bodies to the field for X=4. However, might I suggest holding off if you are winning and have it in hand, unless the body count gives you a Commander kill? You can sweep the board and easily make 5 or 8 1/1 dorks that will massively pump Adeline and turn her into a game-winning Commander yet again! The Takedown is here to serve as a dual option. Need a tapped land? Drop the Plateau! Need removal? Cast it when you have a few creatures out, quite easy in this brew. On the fourth turn, after the attack triggers but before blocking you'll control eight creatures, and then you can cast this to clear their only blocker. This is also the only planeswalker removal spell by the by!

Emeria's Call
Sram's Expertise

Want to make tokens en masse? I got you! The Call can make two game-winning 4/4 Angel Warriors and your non-Angels get indestructible for the turn. It's good after a mass removal spell. You can use it prior to a big combat, swing, and then keep your troops alive and you got a bigger Adeline for that combat. You can also drop it as a land. You can cast the Expertise for 4 mana, and net three 1/1 Servo tokens. You can also drop your biggest creature in your hand for free, like a 2/2 Hate Bear. Net total - four creatures, one spell. It is, again, a great way to bump up an Adeline to lethal prior to swinging and then I also like it after mass removal and then reload your Adeline with Commander tax.

And now...let's look at ways to reactively protect the team!

Akroma's Will
Sejiri Shelter
Brave the Elements

Let's start with this trio of happy cards. One of my favorite answers in the deck is her Will. This 4-drop will do both options if you control Adeline then your stuff gets:

  • Flying - good for evasion.
  • Vigilance - good for holding back.
  • Double Strike - Good for an Adeline Commander Kill in one combat.
  • Lifelink - Great with a fat army like this.
  • Indestructible - Good to keep alive from mass removal or in an attack to keep the team alive.
  • Protection from All Colors - Provides targeted removal answers, can swing through a defense with any color.

It's amazing here! Check out the Shelter. It's here to give a key creature protection from the color of that person's choice for the turn. Good for your Commander. It's also a land if you need it. The Elements is a strong 1-drop that your foe might not expect if you just one 1 mana untapped. All of the creatures here are white (except for the Servos), so it's a powerful instant way to give protection to your team.

Reverent Mantra
Guardian of Faith
Selfless Spirit

Here's another trio that I like in the same vein. The Mantra is even cheaper than Brave the Elements if you exile a White card from your hand. No one expects this anymore, although it used to get tons of play back in the day. Use and abuse it! The Guardian is an awesome 3-drop 3/2 flash vigilance dork for this deck in a Standard-legal set. You can flash it out and then save your team from removal either mass or targeted by phasing out the team or a targeted creature. Then the Spirit is here to drop early on the second turn with its fine 2/1 body, and you can sacrifice it later to save the team from mass removal like Blasphemous Act, Damnation, or your own Martial Coup. Good trio!

Let's leave behind answers.

Meekstone
Crackdown

They aren't "Bears," but they are definitely "Hate"! I love them a lot here! Both will prevent bigger folks from untapping. The 'Stone will lock down everything with a power three or more from untapping, which includes your stuff. Really the only one to care about is Adeline, and she has vigilance. The 'Down will stop 3 power non-White creatures from untapping so it won't affect your team at all since they are all White. I love them here!

Skullclamp
Dragon Throne of Tarkir
Oketra's Monument

Let's turn to some more artifacts with this equipment duo! As you can see, 'Clamp is a powerhouse of card drawing here and you'll want it...a lot. I thought about tossing in Stoneforge Mystic to grab it because of how well it synergizes with the rest of the deck, but that's not here. Check out the Dragon Throne! You'll want to equip Adeline when you have a fat number of dorks out, like, say, eight. She'll get defender. Tap Adeline and 2 mana, and all of your creatures will get +8/+8...and trample as well! I think you might win that game!

With all your creatures running around, the Monument is a great addition to the brew. Creatures cost one fewer, so it acts like a better mana rock. When you cast a creature spell, (likely), you net a 1/1 white Warrior token! For free, with no mana or anything else needed. I think that's pretty good in this brew!

How about some lands?

Bonders' Enclave
Arch of Orazca

Check out this duo of card-drawing lands. The former one is here to tap for 3 mana to draw a card if you control Adeline and at least three other creatures to make her a 4/4 at least, which can be done by herself on a naked board with two attacks. Pretty good here! And then you are very likely to hit 10 or more permanents in a deck that goes wide like this one. That's why the latter card is here. It's expensive to do, but when you need the gas, it's here as an option!

Emeria, the Sky Ruin

We don't have that many Plains in the brew - just 19. But with cards like Myriad Landscape sacrificing for two Plains as well as stuff like Knight of the White Orchid, we could have a shot. Why not take it?

Castle Ardenvale
Kjeldoran Outpost

This is a go-wide brew with both tokens as well as cheap 1- and 2-drops. So, we need to find ways to make bodies in the very lands themselves. Check out this duo! Both will tap for mana. The Castle will tap for four mana and churn out a 1/1 white Human token, which is good for the team. The Outpost will tap for two mana and create a 1/1 white Solder token. Both will add to the density of creatures in this brew!

Memorial to Glory
Foundry of the Consuls

How about this pair of uncommon lands as well! As you can see, each of these two lands will sacrifice to make two 1/1 token creatures. The sacrifice here is four mana. The second arrives untapped, only taps for colorless mana, sacrifices for five mana and makes two flyers. They add fuel to the fire!

Let's leave lands (sorta) behind!

Legion's Landing

Check out this 1-drop enchantment that can make a 1/1 white Vampire token with lifelink! It's pretty strong on the first turn as you'll get a 1/1 for one mana that your deck needs. Then when you swing with three or more dorks (likely) transform the enchantment into the legendary Adanto, the First Fort. It's a great 1-drop, it's easy to transform, and it provides good mid and late game bodies!

Now let's finish up with a quartet of cards from Midnight Hunt.

Sigardian Savior
Sigarda's Splendor

Let's begin with Sigarda's duo. The Savior is a great card advantage machine. On arrival to the party, you net a 5-mana 3/3 flyer which is good for swinging, and you can turn up to two target dorks from your graveyard to the battlefield that have a mana value of two or less, which is pretty much everything you might want to recover. This is 3-for-1 card advantage.

Check out the Splendor! As you cast White spells, you gain life. If, on your upkeep, you gained life or is equal to since your last turn, then you draw a card. Since everything is White here, you are pretty likely to do this a few times. Good stuff for the card flow.

Cathar Commando
Chaplain of Alms // Chapel Shieldgeist

Look at our final pair. The common one is a flash 3/1 for 2 mana, good for creature tricks and chump blocking. You can spend a mana to sacrifice it to destroy an artifact or enchantment. You can recur it with everything from Sigardian Savior to Order of Whiteclay. It's really strong for the build as removal (it's just one more mana than Disenchant if you need it) or combat tricks or just an early beater on the second turn for Adeline.

The uncommon is a 1-drop that's rocking first strike and ward 1, pretty good. After it invariably dies, you can disturb it for four mana into a 2/1 flyer with first strike that gives the whole team ward 1, which is also pretty good, and feels both hate bear'ing with the ward tax as well as aggro as a powerful first strike 1-drop. Love them both here!

And that's it! Let's stop flirting and move on to my actual deck!

Commanding Adeline | Commander| Abe Sargent


And there we go! So... what did you think of my use of the powerful Adeline, Resplendent Cathar? Do you think she is as pushed as I do? Just let me know in the comments below!


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