Author’s Note: Before I get into the meat of the article, I just want to say that if you end up disliking some part of the article, please make sure to at least scroll to the bottom and answer the questions. It will help to determine whether this kind of article comes back! There’s also a special treat at the very end.

About a year ago, Mike Linnemann wrote this:

I wasn’t writing at the time. I was in the middle of moving—if you’re new to my articles, I do that a lot. I didn’t even have access to the Internet, but when I did get around to reading that article, I realized that I held a slightly different opinion.

Vorthos is subjective in all that he does. He appreciates the game beyond the game by reacting to visceral stimuli. He doesn’t want to have to explain why he likes something—although he will—he wants to talk about how awesome that something is.

The problem with this characteristic is that it’s very hard to get a large group of Vorthoses to agree on any one thing. Some will like this card, others will like another. There’s a reason that Vorthos set reviews are so hard to write.

Then there’s the whole issue with actual deck-building. My disagreement was that I felt Vorthos enjoys deck-building just as much as any other Magic player. He might not do it as often, but when he does it, it’s with a passion.

Of course, Vorthos likes building decks with themes. Johnnies like building decks with themes, too. These two overlap. A lot.

Johnny deck-building articles often fulfill Vorthos’s needs. This, combined with Vorthos’s subjective opinions, makes the demand for Vorthos deck-building articles fairly small.

I still believed there was a desire for such articles on occasion, however, and three weeks ago tested the waters. It seems my guess was right: A whopping 64% of you—with another 12% depending on format—said that you’d be interested. Surprising me even further were the answers to my third question in that article. Deck-building fell in a strong third place for most appreciated facet of Magic, only 2% behind art!

That brings me to today.

I’ve decided to start with a resonant theme for today’s deck, the Weatherlight. It’s a major piece of Magic’s history, and one any Vorthos worth his salt knows of. (If you’re a younger Vorthos, check out this link.) If this doesn’t grab his interest, chances are very little will.

The Format

Today’s deck is a Commander deck because that feels most natural for Vorthos. Not only do a lot of Vorthoses tend to play Commander, but it resonates with Vorthos—only one of each card, a legend is your commander, and so on.

That doesn’t mean we can’t build decks for Vorthos in other formats. In fact, I would argue Vorthos is happy no matter what format he is playing—devoid of any other psychographic characteristics. I’m starting with Commander because it fits today’s theme and Vorthos loves following his gut instinct.

The General

Let’s start with the elephant in the room: our commander. Most players start with a commander or a theme when building Commander decks. I already had the theme, so it was just a matter of finding a commander that fit. So, why didn’t I choose Gerrard Capashen?

Beyond making the deck harder to build (one color), I would argue he wasn’t the central piece to the Weatherlight. He certainly played a huge role—the central role even—in collecting the Legacy and defeating Yawgmoth, but we need somebody tied to the Weatherlight, somebody who embodies spirit and leadership and isn’t just a hero. Am I nitpicking and asserting random bits of story to sway you toward my choice? Sure I am.

I chose Sisay for a couple of reasons. First, she was captain of the Weatherlight and the reason that Gerrard rejoined the crew after Rofellos died. Second, her ability appeals to Vorthos. Recruiting other legends to join in the fight against Phyrexia? Yes, please! Finally, her flavor text says it all:

The Supporting Cast

Where would we be in a Weatherlight deck with the crew? Anyone who fits into the deck’s colors is an auto-include, as is the actual ship. Even better, they can all be tutored for thanks to Sisay.

Crovax, Ascendant Hero would be a great addition here. Sadly, he exists in an alternate timeline, and Vorthos has no need of him unless the deck plays upon alternate timelines from Time Spiral. We are not, so he doesn’t get considered.

The rest of the cards were chosen because they represent important scenes, items, and characters the crew encounters. Others were chosen because their flavor text reveals major plot points and traits/characteristics of the crew.

"Sisay’s Sailors"

• Commander (1)
• 1 Captain Sisay

• Creatures (22)
• 1 Aboroth
• 1 Heart Warden
• 1 Horned Troll
• 1 Kavu Climber
• 1 Multani's Acolyte
• 1 Peacekeeper
• 1 Sinew Sliver
• 1 Skyshroud Ranger
• 1 Soltari Emissary
• 1 Taunting Elf
• 1 Treasure Hunter
• 1 Victual Sliver
• 1 Beast of Burden
• 1 Manakin
• 1 Cho-Manno, Revolutionary
• 1 Eladamri, Lord of Leaves
• 1 Gerrard Capashen
• 1 Mirri, Cat Warrior
• 1 Multani, Maro-Sorcerer
• 1 Orim, Samite Healer
• 1 Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary
• 1 Karn, Silver Golem

• Spells (38)
• 1 Aura Mutation
• 1 Change of Heart
• 1 Debt of Loyalty
• 1 Gerrard's Command
• 1 Heroes' Reunion
• 1 Invulnerability
• 1 Provoke
• 1 Respite
• 1 Scapegoat
• 1 Smite
• 1 Cataclysm
• 1 Natural Spring
• 1 Overrun
• 1 Revive
• 1 Tranquility
• 1 Wing Snare
• 1 Arrest
• 1 Broken Fall
• 1 Dueling Grounds
• 1 Gerrard's Battle Cry
• 1 Ivory Mask
• 1 Orim's Prayer
• 1 Safeguard
• 1 Serenity
• 1 Shackles
• 1 Braidwood Cup
• 1 Ensnaring Bridge
• 1 Erratic Portal
• 1 Grindstone
• 1 Null Rod
• 1 Phyrexian Lens
• 1 Power Matrix
• 1 Sisay's Ring
• 1 Squee's Toy
• 1 Touchstone
• 1 Urza's Blueprints
• 1 Xanthic Statue
• 1 Skyship Weatherlight

• Lands (39)
• 15 Forest
• 15 Plains
• 1 Elfhame Palace
• 1 Heart of Yavimaya
• 1 Henge of Ramos
• 1 High Market
• 1 Rishadan Port
• 1 Tower of the Magistrate
• 1 Vec Townships
• 1 Rath's Edge
• 1 Yavimaya Hollow

Buy This Deck

Choosing to build a deck for Vorthos set us up for a weak deck from the start. Cards for Vorthos just tend to be weaker than others on average, especially in older sets. While I don’t think the deck above is completely useless, chances are you’ll have a hard time winning consistently with it.

Here’s a second list where I was a little more flexible on flavor in hopes of gaining a little extra power. I made sure each card has a connection, but don’t expect them all to be important to the Weatherlight.

"Hanna’s Trinkets"

• Commander (1)
• 1 Hanna, Ship's Navigator

• Creatures (20)
• 1 Blockade Runner
• 1 Marble Titan
• 1 Mnemonic Sliver
• 1 Peacekeeper
• 1 Phantom Warrior
• 1 Scrivener
• 1 Soltari Emissary
• 1 Treasure Hunter
• 1 Unstable Shapeshifter
• 1 Vodalian Illusionist
• 1 Volrath's Shapeshifter
• 1 Wind Drake
• 1 Beast of Burden
• 1 Manakin
• 1 Blind Seer
• 1 Cho-Manno, Revolutionary
• 1 Ertai, Wizard Adept
• 1 Gerrard Capashen
• 1 Orim, Samite Healer
• 1 Karn, Silver Golem

• Spells (41)
• 1 Counterspell
• 1 Debt of Loyalty
• 1 Ertai's Meddling
• 1 Fact or Fiction
• 1 Honor the Fallen
• 1 Invulnerability
• 1 Smite
• 1 Stroke of Genius
• 1 Whispers of the Muse
• 1 Cataclysm
• 1 Distorting Wake
• 1 Legerdemain
• 1 Sift
• 1 Theft of Dreams
• 1 Time Warp
• 1 Topple
• 1 Abduction
• 1 Arrest
• 1 Contempt
• 1 Cowardice
• 1 Gerrard's Battle Cry
• 1 Hesitation
• 1 Intruder Alarm
• 1 Ivory Mask
• 1 Mana Chains
• 1 Orim's Prayer
• 1 Propaganda
• 1 Safeguard
• 1 Serenity
• 1 Shackles
• 1 Treasure Trove
• 1 Volrath's Curse
• 1 Ensnaring Bridge
• 1 Erratic Portal
• 1 Null Rod
• 1 Phyrexian Lens
• 1 Power Matrix
• 1 Sisay's Ring
• 1 Touchstone
• 1 Xanthic Statue
• 1 Skyship Weatherlight

• Lands (38)
• 14 Plains
• 15 Island
• 1 Coastal Tower
• 1 Henge of Ramos
• 1 High Market
• 1 Rishadan Port
• 1 Saprazzan Cove
• 1 Tower of the Magistrate
• 1 Wasteland
• 1 Rath's Edge
• 1 Tolarian Academy

Buy This Deck

Cutting Room Floor

Finally, here are some cards that just missed the cut in one (or both) of the decks.

On the opposite end, Ferocity, Call of the Wild, Temper, and Fool's Tome have great crew flavor but don’t work well with the deck. Familiar Ground, Collective Unconscious, Duplicity, and Uktabi Efreet are in the same boat with even less flavor.

Topple, Recycle, Eladamri's Vineyard, and Honor the Fallen have great flavor, but they don’t jive with the Weatherlight. Last, Restrain, Skyshaper, Bandage, and Torture Chamber are just horrible cards.

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The interviews I did ahead of Grand Prix Anaheim were a bit rushed, and unfortunately, darken—if you missed daarken at Grand Prix Anaheim, he will also be at Grand Prix Shanghai July 28–29—was unable to answer before the publish date through no fault of his own. He was kind enough to reply anyway, and I want to make sure you don’t miss out on his answers. Enjoy!

I think the first set I worked on was either Tenth Edition or Future Sight. I can’t remember exactly which one came out first, but I think that was back in 2007. [Author’s Note: Future Sight preceded Tenth Edition by three months.] I believe Korlash was one of the first cards I ever worked on.

What brought you into the fantasy/science fiction genre originally?

Well, I always enjoyed the sci-fi/fantasy genre as a kid, but I think what really pushed me over the edge was when I saw Brom’s work for the first time. After that I was hooked.

Is there a particular Magic artwork of yours that is your favorite? Do you have a favorite Magic artwork beyond your own?

I always liked Sarkhan Vol because that was the first and only planeswalker I worked on. I think with the recent set, though, Archwing Dragon has moved up to one of my favorite Magic paintings.

Has working on Magic illustrations presented any challenges for you? If so, could you elaborate slightly?

Well, working on any Magic card is a challenge because you have to make sure that your illustration reads at a very small size. You end up losing a lot of detail at print size, so you have to make sure that your composition and focal point read very well at a distance.

Yeah, I think my style and ability is constantly changing and growing. If you look at the work I did back in 2007 compared to the new set, I’m sure you will probably notice a lot of changes. My work is more detailed and refined, and I tend to add more backgrounds.

Do you sign cards you created beyond events such as Grand Prix: Anaheim? Are you willing to alter your cards for fans? If so, how can people get in touch with you if they are interested?

Yes, I sign cards for free, and I do alterations with paint pens for $10 each. If fans are interested, they can just stop by my table.

Finally, do you have any other projects in the pipeline that Magic fans might be interested in?

I’m always working on a lot of different projects. I work on the World of Warcraft TCG, I just did a card for Duel Masters, and I work on a lot of different video games and RPGs like Warhammer. I also have an art book coming out at the end of the year that will have a lot of my Magic work in it.

Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions. I and my readers look forward to seeing more of your art in the future!

No problem, thanks!