Hello happy folks!! I hope that your day is going well Today I wanted to take a different take on a Commander just printed in Jumpstart 2022.

Here is the leader in question. This four mana 4 drop 2/4 has two abilities. The first is to make a free 2/2 Drake token when you draw your second card on any turn, including all four in a four player game. Then when you draw your fifth card in a turn, she and your Drakes each get a power and toughness boost equal to your hand count. That's quite a bit after drawing that many cards. Note that some classic "Card draw" cards like Fact or Fiction actually don't draw at all and won't trigger Alandra. EDHREC.com has gone in a Cantrip and Spellslinger way with this card playing all of the cheap instants and sorceries that draw cards and triggers in mono-Blue. That's not bad, but the first card I thought of when I saw Alandra is Howling Mine. When you draw an extra card for free you are fulfilling this obligation. Then no one is going to be attacking you while you assemble your Drakes and then win out of nowhere with a trigger to draw a few more on your turn. Make sense?

Ready for the deck?

Group Hugs and Drakes

Most of my Group Hug things are obvious like Howling Mine and Temple Bell. These two are different. The Font is a four-drop artifact and everyone draws another two cards on their draw step. Two cards in one card, it's very strong here. Jace is a three-drop three loyalty planeswalker here for that +1 to have everyone draw a card, and then you can -1 and just draw a card a few times, but it's here in this deck for that +1.

Now let's turn to five cool Drakes. The Loyal one is a three-drop 2/2 Flying Wind Drake. This has the ability to draw a card on your combat step when you control your Commander, so that's a free Alandra trigger every turn without any mana or other investments. The Whirlpool one is a four mana flying 2/2 with two triggers. When it enters the battlefield or dies, you shuffle your hand into your library and then draw that many cards. That means that at sorcery speed you'll probably draw at least 4 cards plus your normal card you drew to trigger Alandra, plus that could be a lot more, and then this doesn't risk decking you either since you shuffle your hand into your library. A common Merfolk that does that once in the set is called Whirlpool Rider, and there is an Izzet one that couldn't get played in here due to mana color.

Let's turn our Drake look to this pair of flyers with 3 toughness: Tide Skimmer and Gilded Drake. The former Drake is a four-drop 2/3 uncommon that draws you a card when you attack with two or more flyers. That seems pretty likely here since my Drakes and tokens from Alandra all fly. The latter Drake is a Commander Classic, when this two mana 3/3 flyer enters the battlefield you trade it for a dork an opponent controls, and in multiplayer, that could be a lot of options quite ably.

Let's finish the Drakes with this one just printed in the same set as Alandra. Eyekite is a two-drop 1/2 flyer with the same synergies as Alandra. Did you draw two cards this turn? Great! You are an awesome player! Now this Drake gets a two boost to power and if three more then Alandra will pump it even more. Nasty right? I think so as well.

Synergies and Win Conditions

Now let's turn to synergetic cards and win-cons. We'll start with the latter. The Maniac is a three-drop 2/2 Human Wizard and when you would draw a card on a naked library you'll win rather than lose. It's a win-con, literally. Then I also am running the Jace that has the same ability as a static ability here as well. Thassa's Oracle is also here that will win on arrival to the battlefield if your devotion to Blue is larger than your library count. Then the Crawler is a winner of games too, since this five-drop artifact dork will turn card's drawn to your foes each losing a life, so that's very quick here with the massive card drawing of this. Its size is equal to your card count in hand so that's also a game winner in the red zone with the swinging.

Now let's turn to other cards. The Journal is a five-drop with no maximum hand size for you. Nice on no discarding required in your End Step. Then you gain life equal to your hand count in your upkeep, so that could easily be 5 or 10 here a turn as well as a fatter Alandra trigger for the 5 cards. Then check out Teferi. This five-drop 4 loyalty dork will get a counter each card draw, and with all of your card flow here that's a lot. Then you can draw a card with the first loyalty ability that will trigger Alandra on your main phase, and then you can -2 to make a 2/2 Spirit with vigilance that gets a +1/+1 counter for each card you draw. That turns into a game winner quite ably and doesn't open you up to counter attacks when it swings. Then you can pretty easily get to -12 and here a targeted foe bounces a permanent of their choices and then shuffles their non lands into their library. Nasty. But in a multiplayer game just one foe is hit, so you can target the archenemy of that nasty overpowered Commander brew. This is our final planeswalker in this brew.

Check out this pair. The legendary one is a three-drop 1/3 Gnome Wizard. When you draw your second card in any turn (Yours or your foes) make a 1/1 Blue Illusion token which gets a power boost for each other Illusion you control, which can get out of hand quickly. Then when your Illusions die you can drop a permanent from your hand to the battlefield with mana equal to or less than the power of what died, for free. So that let's you drop lands for free in addition to your drop each turn. She'll turn your same card drawing infrastructure for Alandra until a bunch more tokens of a different tribe. Then the non-legendary one is a four-drop 3/3 flyer of the Bird and Wizard persuasion. You have no maximum hand size, with the same synergies as Venser's Journal above. Then when a token dork you control deals combat damage to a player's face, draw a card. That's a lot with Minn and Alandra.

Let's finish our section with a twosome of artifacts in Blackblade Reforged and Maskwood Nexus. The Equipment is a two-drop, three to equip your leader or seven for most others. Then the equipped dork gets power and toughness equal to your land count. Alandra will already pump herself with the fifth card draw trigger and then this will turn her into an even faster clock. The Nexus will give all of your stuff changeling. First, that's strong for your Commander since she will now pump your entire team. Then that's also strong with Minn since your Illusion tokens will each see your entire team instead of just here, and all deaths will trigger her Illusion death trigger. Then the Nexus can be tapped for three to make a 2/2 token with changeling, nice token making over time.

Card Flow

And now let's turn to some more card draw that has not been talked about and is not in the Group Hug concept either. The Flow is a six-mana sorcery that draws you cards equal to your Island count. That should be quite the little bit here as I have 26 Islands in the brew. That's almost definitely a second Alandra trigger. Then I have the instant-speed Flow of Knowledge that costs 5, draws equal to your Island count, and then discards two. That will likely be two for Alanda's Drake making, and very possibly 5 for the pumping. The Pull is an instant speed X cost with UU to start and draws you X at instant speed and discards one. Again, that should be X for two to trigger the Drake and X for the latter ability as well as a combat trick on defense.

Check out Ancient Silver Dragon and Kindred Discovery. The Dragon is a powerful 8-mana 8/8 and when it deals combat damage you draw 1d20 cards. That's pretty much a guaranteed first trigger. Then you don't have a maximum hand size for the game, which is also pretty strong as we just saw, since it cannot be answered like Venser's Journal. The Discovery is a 5 drop that you call Drake on arrival to the battlefield. Did a Drake ETB? Draw a card! Did a Drake attack? Draw a card! Draw a lot of cards with this thing. Also note it's synergy with Maskwood Nexus.

Let's finish our card draw section with this pair. The 'Stone can be dropped on the first turn, then tapped for two and then sacrificed to draw three and put two on top of your library. This can be done at instant speed to get an Alandra Drake trigger on a foe's turn as well as add to two from other sources to draw 5. I am also running the card it is based on Brainstorm here as well. The Insight is a four-cost draw two at instant speed, so you can get an Alandra trigger for Drake on a foe's turn. Then you can discard and spend four mana again in your graveyard to Jump-start it and get another casting and draw two more cards, so that's a net of three cards drawn and two Drakes made from your one spell.

Answers

Now let's turn to answers, like Mystic Confluence and Arcane Denial. My answers mostly draw you cards too. The rare is a five-cost instant that can Mana Leak a spell up to three times, or once to counter and then draw you two. Or you could just bounce a dork and draw two to trigger Alandra on a foe's turn if the counter isn't needed. I am not running Cyclonic Rift since that's not really a Group Hug card, this and Cryptic Command are my only bounce spells, although I do have a pair of bouncing Drakes. The common is a cheap two cost that counters anything, draws you a card and the countered card two, so most won't mind. I am also running Vex that draws you each a card too and Dismiss for just you.

Like my counters leaving my foes with good stuff like cards, so to does my creature removal. The instant is a one cast that destroys any creature and then gives them a fun 3/3 Ape. I am also running Rapid Hybridization that plays into the same space. The sorcery costs double Blue to start, X, then exiles X target dorks and their controllers get 2/2 Boars, so they come out with something. Exiling is a great way to answer indestructible or regenerating folks.

Let's finish with a Drake pair in Spiketail Hatchling and Cerulean Drake. The Cerulean one is a two-drop 1/1 flyer with protection from Red. That's a powerful early play that can be pumped reliably with the fifth card drawn when you control your leader, and it cannot be blocked by any ground pounders or red flyers or reachers. Then you can sac it to counter any spell that targets you like Fact or Fiction or Lighting Bolt. The Spiketail one is also a 2-drop flying 1/1 Drake that comes down early, and lacks protection from red, but sacrifices to counter any spell unless they spend one, so if they are tapped out, this is a counter in Drake wings. Nice pair. I am also running the other two Spiketail cards Spiketail Drake and Spiketail Drakeling that sacrifice for counters in the same vein.

Ramping, Rocks, Lands

Now let's turn to some lands and rocks. The Vessel is a key mana rock since it costs two, and taps for colorless, and then you can drop it on the 2nd turn and Alandra a turn early on turn 3. Then you don't have a maximum hand size and don't have to discard in your mana rock base. I also am running the Manalith called Decanter of Endless Water that does the same thing as well as Reliquary Tower.

The Crystal costs four to drop, taps for double mana, and then can be tapped with two mana to sacrifice for a card. Then you can also exile all opposing graveyards at instant speed. That's here to act as a brake on the powerful misuse and abuse of graveyards in Commander at instant speed. You can also sac to draw a card for Alandra's card draw triggers, like getting another on an opposing turn to get to the next trigger up. Then I am also running other mana rocks that tap and sacrifice for cards like Commander's Sphere and Hedron Archive.

Lonely Sandbar taps for Blue, and ETBs tapped so you take a turn off to make it work. Then you can cycle it for a U to draw a card. That's just one mana to get you to another card drawn this turn for your Alandra purposes, and then I am running the other two Blue mono-colored cycling lands as well as the colorless Blasted Landscape.

Mikokoro, Center of the Sea arrives untapped, taps for colorless, and then can be tapped with a pair of mana to have everyone draw a card, so it's a Temple Bell activation in land form. It's here to let you trigger your Alandra in land form as well as giving everyone cards. I am also running Geier Reach Sanitarium that also can tap to have everyone draw a card, but this time force a discard, which also serves to level up your Alandra trigger to the next one in land form.

Let's turn to this pair of lands that tap for Blue. The first arrives untapped with no tempo loss but you'll lose a life each time you activate it for mana. Then when you have threshold (quite easy in this brew) you'll be able to tap and then draw three and discard three. That's very strong Drake making card flow here and you can do it anytime on a foe's turn or yours. The second card arrives tapped, so there's a tempo loss. You can self-sacrifice this with a massive five mana and then draw two cards at instant speed. It's more mana than the first card, doesn't take pain to use, but doesn't require discarding. Then that's enough for Drake making trigger.

Rogue's Passage and Academy Ruins finish our deep dive into cards that are being played. The colorless land arrives untapped, can be tapped with four mana to give any dork unblockable for the turn. This is very strong with a triggered Alandra on your main phase that is pumping her up to get a Commander Damage kill out of nowhere. Also don't forget to use this on the dork with Blackblade Reforged. We also have combat damage triggers like on our Ancient Silver Dragon to slip through and draw all of the cards.

The Blue color identity land taps for colorless, then taps with two mana to put any artifact from your graveyard to the top of your library. We are running 16 non-creature artifacts that you can restock to your library if they die, as well as discarded to things like Pull from Tomorrow or Flow of Knowledge or Geier Reach Sanitarium. Since many of our card drawing Group Hug cards are artifacts, you can bring back Temple Bell. You can also sacrifice a mana rock for cards, and then recur it and draw more cards, or recast Brainstone for enough to get an Alandra #1 trigger on its own or #2 if you drew two this turn on your main turn with your normal card and a Dictate of Kruphix ability. I also am running Burnished Hart to sacrifice for two Islands again and again. Nice synergy here!

And now let's look at my decklist!

Alandra Loves You | Commander | Abe Sargent

• Commander (1)
• 1 Alandra, Sky Dreamer

• Creatures (23)
• 1 Ancient Silver Dragon
• 1 Angler Drake
• 1 Burnished Hart
• 1 Cerulean Drake
• 1 Curiosity Crafter
• 1 Eyekite
• 1 Gilded Drake
• 1 Hunting Drake
• 1 Laboratory Maniac
• 1 Loyal Drake
• 1 Kami of the Crescent Moon
• 1 Minn, Wily Illusionist
• 1 Muse Drake
• 1 Peregrine Drake
• 1 Psychosis Crawler
• 1 Solemn Simulacrum
• 1 Spiketail Drake
• 1 Spiketail Drakeling
• 1 Spiketail Hatchling
• 1 Tide Skimmer
• 1 Thassa's Oracle
• 1 Whirlpool Drake
• 1 Windstorm Drake

• Planeswalkers (3)
• 1 Jace Beleren
• 1 Jace, Wielder of Mysteries
• 1 Teferi, Temporal Pilgrim

• Spells (16)
• 1 Arcane Denial
• 1 Brainstorm
• 1 Chemister's Insight
• 1 Cryptic Command
• 1 Curse of the Swine
• 1 Flow of Ideas
• 1 Flow of Knowledge
• 1 Mystic Confluence
• 1 Pongify
• 1 Prosperity
• 1 Pull from Tomorrow
• 1 Rapid Hybridization
• 1 Ravenform
• 1 Silver Scrutiny
• 1 Vex
• 1 You Find the Villains' Lair

• Enchantments (3)
• 1 Dictate of Kruphix
• 1 Kindred Discovery
• 1 Well of Ideas

• Artifacts (16)
• 1 Blackblade Reforged
• 1 Brainstone
• 1 Commander's Sphere
• 1 Decanter of Endless Water
• 1 Dreamstone Hedron
• 1 Font of Mythos
• 1 Hedron Archive
• 1 Howling Mine
• 1 Lightning Greaves
• 1 Maskwood Nexus
• 1 Sol Ring
• 1 Stonespeaker Crystal
• 1 Swiftfoot Boots
• 1 Temple Bell
• 1 Thought Vessel
• 1 Venser's Journal

• Lands (38)
• 1 Academy Ruins
• 1 Cephalid Coliseum
• 1 Desert of the Mindful
• 1 Geier Reach Sanitarium
• 1 Lonely Sandbar
• 1 Memorial to Genius
• 1 Mikokoro, Center of the Sea
• 1 Myriad Landscape
• 1 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
• 1 Reliquary Tower
• 1 Remote Isle
• 1 Rogue's Passage
• 26 Islands

Buy This Deck Export text format

There we go! What did you think about my interpretation of Alandra? I hope that you liked it...enjoy!