Oathbreaker is my favorite format, as a more aggressive and thematic version of Commander. You start with a Planeswalker in the command zone, instead of a creature, with a sorcery or instant signature spell that you can cast as long as your 'Walker is on the battlefield, everything taxed two more each time. Seeing Oathbreaker supported with official Wizards of the Coast products would be a dream come true. While I'll have to wait for Oathbreaker precons, Dakkon, Shadow Slayer seems custom made for the format.

We need more multicolored Planeswalkers. Most are mono-colored. We have too few two-colored options and even fewer tri-colored. Not only is Dakkon, Shadow Slayer an Esper card, but he also rewards you for recasting him later in the game, similar to how Prossh, Skyraider of Kher scales with increasing commander tax. Whether or not Wizards designed Dakkon, Shadow Slayer with Oathbreaker in mind, I thank them for it.

The original Dakkon Blackblade captivated me as a kid. When I started playing, Legends packs were still on the shelves. I could never afford the $40 price tag, but I could stare through the display case at Dakkon Blackblade. While my fingers greased the glass, I read the flavor text, which beautifully explained the mechanic and hinted at an epic figure. I wanted to read Dakkon's fantasy novel.

I likely wasn't alone with my interest for the character. The most popular ones from Legends, such as Nicol Bolas, were given official stories. Dakkon's tale turned out more grim-dark than I expected from an Esper card predominately blue. Still, I was thrilled when twenty years later I wrote the flavor text for his sword.

We will delve deeper into his lore, and our second decklist will be just as evil as his blade. But first we will focus on the joyous wonder I saw in his original printing, with a deck that focuses on theme and fun. We are going voltron with a single weapon. Let's equip some legends.

Legends' Revenge | Oathbreaker | AE Marling

• Locket (2)
• 1 Dakkon, Shadow Slayer
• 1 Steelshaper's Gift

• Creatures (18)
• 1 Alela, Artful Provocateur
• 1 Ardenn, Intrepid Archaeologist
• 1 Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim
• 1 Baleful Strix
• 1 Boreas Charger
• 1 Burnished Hart
• 1 Cliffside Rescuer
• 1 Dakkon Blackblade
• 1 Danitha Capashen, Paragon
• 1 Giver of Runes
• 1 Halvar, God of Battle // Sword of the Realms
• 1 Knight of the White Orchid
• 1 Kunoros, Hound of Athreos
• 1 Lavinia, Azorius Renegade
• 1 Shadrix Silverquill
• 1 Solemn Simulacrum
• 1 Verge Rangers
• 1 Weathered Wayfarer

• Instants (8)
• 1 Deadly Rollick
• 1 Flawless Maneuver
• 1 Fracture
• 1 Hagra Mauling
• 1 Kabira Takedown
• 1 Sejiri Shelter
• 1 Swords to Plowshares
• 1 Vanishing Verse

• Sorceries (3)
• 1 Ondu Inversion // Ondu Skyruins
• 1 Price of Betrayal
• 1 Profane Tutor

• Enchantments (1)
• 1 Soul Snare

• Artifacts (7)
• 1 Blackblade Reforged
• 1 Dowsing Dagger
• 1 Shadowspear
• 1 Surveyor's Scope
• 1 Sword of Sinew and Steel
• 1 Sword of the Animist
• 1 Wayfarer's Bauble

• Lands (21)
• 1 Island
• 4 Plains
• 1 Swamp
• 1 Arcane Sanctum
• 1 Buried Ruin
• 1 Command Tower
• 1 Drowned Catacomb
• 1 Glacial Floodplain
• 1 Glacial Fortress
• 1 Godless Shrine
• 1 Hallowed Fountain
• 1 Irrigated Farmland
• 1 Isolated Chapel
• 1 Prairie Stream
• 1 Sunken Hollow
• 1 Temple of Silence
• 1 Vault of Champions
• 1 Watery Grave

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Oathbreaker allows us to build decks around different card types. Here, our signature spell of Steelshaper's Gift permits us to design around Blackblade Reforged. Should our legendary weapon be destroyed, we can recover it with our commander. Whereas most ultimates are hard to attain, we can achieve Dakkon's immediately if we have six or more lands in play.

The colors of Esper are least well known for their land ramp. To help us out, we will play Surveyor's Scope and Sword of the Animist. We have Wayfarer's Bauble of course, and the potent Oathbreaker card of Dowsing Dagger. Give your ally the plants and yourself a Lotus Vale. Yes, we included the best White ramp spell in Knight of the White Orchid, along with a few other enablers such as Verge Rangers. This would be a perfect deck for Land Tax if you own one.

In general, Oathbreaker isn't about ramp so much as board presence and pressuring opposing Planeswalkers. For that reason, I selected legends that are early plays, such as Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim. Ardenn, Intrepid Archaeologist fits our strategy all too well, and the stats of Danitha Capashen, Paragon are perfect for Oathbreaker. In this format we start at twenty life, and vigilance and lifelink can win you the game, allowing you to attack without fear of lethal retaliation. I also couldn't resist a few powerhouses like Shadrix Silverquill. Give that elder dragon Blackblade Reforged, and you'll likely kill a foe in a single swing.

That's ironic because in the official story, the Blackblade slays another elder dragon (the broodmate of Chromium). In this deck I gave a nod to Dakkon's greater story with Profane Tutor, but you don't need to know it to enjoy playing with these cards. If you dislike grim-dark fantasy in the style of the Berserk magna (RIP Kentaro Miura), then you may prefer to ignore it and focus purely on what you see on the cards. This is a valid choice. Feel free to stop reading here. Going forward I will delve deeper into the story and introduce a second decklist that is more nefarious.

The demonic Geyadrone Dihada promised to transcend Dakkon into a Planeswalker if he crafted her the most powerful sword. He agreed to forge her a soul-drinking blade. Dakkon quenched the Blackblade with the heartblood of a thousand slaves. He presented the completed sword to Geyadrone Dihada. In true demon fashion, she granted his wish and made him a Planeswalker but also stole his soul with his own sword. On his quest for vengeance, he battled Sol'Kanar the Swamp King. He befriended the forefather of Jared Carthalion. In the end, Dakkon was tricked one final time by Geyadrone into giving her the power of an elder dragon.

Our second deck aspires to be just as ruthless. Rather than the minus abilities of Dakkon, Shadow Slayer, we're focusing on his plus-one surveil. It combined with Vampiric Tutor allows us to pitch any creature from our deck into the graveyard, while also giving us the option to find any of our reanimation spells. We're spilling our own blood for power, just as Dakkon shed so much in the forging of his blade.

Dakkon the Bloody | Oathbreaker | AE Marling

• Locket (2)
• 1 Dakkon, Shadow Slayer
• 1 Vampiric Tutor

• Creatures (9)
• 1 Baleful Strix
• 1 Drannith Magistrate
• 1 Jace, Vryn's Prodigy
• 1 Lavinia, Azorius Renegade
• 1 Massacre Wurm
• 1 Platinum Angel
• 1 Sphinx of the Steel Wind
• 1 Thief of Blood
• 1 Void Winnower

• Planeswalkers (1)
• 1 Ashiok, Dream Render

• Instants (13)
• 1 Brainstorm
• 1 Deadly Rollick
• 1 Entomb
• 1 Fierce Guardianship
• 1 Flawless Maneuver
• 1 Fracture
• 1 Frantic Search
• 1 Hagra Mauling
• 1 Spell Pierce
• 1 Stubborn Denial
• 1 Swan Song
• 1 Swords to Plowshares
• 1 Vanishing Verse

• Sorceries (6)
• 1 Careful Study
• 1 Living Death
• 1 Reanimate
• 1 The Elderspell
• 1 Toxic Deluge
• 1 Unburial Rites

• Enchantments (3)
• 1 Animate Dead
• 1 Necromancy
• 1 Search for Azcanta

• Artifacts (5)
• 1 Arcane Signet
• 1 Chrome Mox
• 1 Lotus Petal
• 1 Mox Amber
• 1 Mox Diamond

• Lands (21)
• 1 Island
• 1 Plains
• 1 Swamp
• 1 Arcane Sanctum
• 1 Command Tower
• 1 Creeping Tar Pit
• 1 Drowned Catacomb
• 1 Flooded Strand
• 1 Gemstone Caverns
• 1 Glacial Fortress
• 1 Godless Shrine
• 1 Hallowed Fountain
• 1 Isolated Chapel
• 1 Marsh Flats
• 1 Morphic Pool
• 1 Polluted Delta
• 1 Port of Karfell
• 1 Sea of Clouds
• 1 Strip Mine
• 1 Vault of Champions
• 1 Watery Grave

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Vampiric Tutor allows us to find the most suitable fatty to end the game. I couldn't pass the opportunity to include Sphinx of the Steel Wind in our Esper Reanimator. Our cosmic horror Void Winnower will shut down most opposing combo decks. Platinum Angel will prevent them from winning outright, though I would want a card like Stubborn Denial to protect the clockwork wonder. We also can unbury Massacre Wurm to win games outright versus armies of small creatures.

The final cuts for this deck were as brutal as our theme. I had to dispose of Show and Tell, worried it would enable our foes to win on their turn. I would've loved Nezahal, Primal Tide against combo and Stormtide Leviathan against Huatli aggro. Vilis, Broker of Blood is also a great option similar to Griselbrand, allowing you to draw eight immediately if you Reanimate.

I would exclude the one-coverted-mana-cost spell from less competitive versions of this deck. At most Oathbreaker tables, you can't afford to lose eight life. However, at the most competitive levels, you'll face more combo, where your life total won't matter as much. Keep in mind you could replace Reanimate with Stitch Together.

Remember, too, that more competitive doesn't mean better or even more fun. What's more important is matching expectations with your playgroup. This is casual, and you should play a deck so delightful and true to you that you feel like a winner regardless.