Welcome to article 500! I am excited that so many of you have read my articles; this is a big reason why I have continued to write over the last 11 years!

Rather than look back through some older articles and get all introspective, I decided I wanted to celebrate some of the people that have inspired me and my writing during this time. I reached out to each of them and asked for specific decklists that really typify who they are for me. So, you'll be seeing plenty of interesting lists!

Carlos Gutierrez

Child Lands | Commander | Carlos Gutierrez

• Commander (1)
• 1 Child of Alara

• Creatures (15)
• 1 Azusa, Lost but Seeking
• 1 Dryad of the Ilysian Grove
• 1 Elvish Rejuvenator
• 1 Eternal Witness
• 1 Golos, Tireless Pilgrim
• 1 Jace, Vryn's Prodigy
• 1 Knight of the Reliquary
• 1 Oracle of Mul Daya
• 1 Phantasmal Image
• 1 Ramunap Excavator
• 1 Sun Titan
• 1 Thrasios, Triton Hero
• 1 Titania, Protector of Argoth
• 1 Ulvenwald Hydra
• 1 World Shaper

• Instants (11)
• 1 Brought Back
• 1 Crop Rotation
• 1 Entomb
• 1 Faith's Reward
• 1 Intuition
• 1 Mystical Tutor
• 1 Once Upon a Time
• 1 Realms Uncharted
• 1 Second Sunrise
• 1 Vampiric Tutor
• 1 Wake the Dead

• Sorceries (14)
• 1 Ancient Stirrings
• 1 Bring to Light
• 1 Demonic Tutor
• 1 Eldritch Evolution
• 1 Faithless Looting
• 1 Gamble
• 1 Green Sun's Zenith
• 1 Hour of Promise
• 1 Life from the Loam
• 1 Neoform
• 1 Splendid Reclamation
• 1 Summer Bloom
• 1 Tempt with Discovery
• 1 Wargate

• Enchantments (3)
• 1 Exploration
• 1 Gift of Immortality
• 1 Journey to Eternity

• Artifacts (7)
• 1 Birthing Pod
• 1 Crucible of Worlds
• 1 Expedition Map
• 1 Mirage Mirror
• 1 Nim Deathmantle
• 1 Sol Ring
• 1 Wishclaw Talisman

• Lands (49)
• 1 Ancient Tomb
• 1 Arid Mesa
• 1 Bayou
• 1 Bazaar of Baghdad
• 1 Bloodstained Mire
• 1 Bojuka Bog
• 1 Cabal Coffers
• 1 Cavern of Souls
• 1 Dark Depths
• 1 Deserted Temple
• 1 Diamond Valley
• 1 Dryad Arbor
• 1 Emeria, the Sky Ruin
• 1 Field of the Dead
• 1 Flood Plain
• 1 Flooded Strand
• 1 Glacial Chasm
• 1 Godless Shrine
• 1 Grasslands
• 1 Hallowed Fountain
• 1 High Market
• 1 Indatha Triome
• 1 Krosan Verge
• 1 Marsh Flats
• 1 Maze of Ith
• 1 Misty Rainforest
• 1 Mosswort Bridge
• 1 Phyrexian Tower
• 1 Plateau
• 1 Polluted Delta
• 1 Raugrin Triome
• 1 Sacred Foundry
• 1 Savannah
• 1 Scalding Tarn
• 1 Scrubland
• 1 Slayers' Stronghold
• 1 Strip Mine
• 1 Temple Garden
• 1 The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
• 1 Thespian's Stage
• 1 Tolaria West
• 1 Tropical Island
• 1 Tundra
• 1 Underground Sea
• 1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
• 1 Verdant Catacombs
• 1 Vesuva
• 1 Windswept Heath
• 1 Wooded Foothills

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The first time I heard Carlos was on a podcast more than ten years ago. Week after week he offered up crazy card combinations with cards I had never even heard of. Half of the time I didn't understand the interaction even after reading the cards! It was then that I knew he was someone who saw the game very differently than I did! We met for the first time at a GP in Worcester a few years later and our friendship built through meetups at various GP's, Gencon's, and other fun events. I was thrilled to be invited to his wedding and for a chance to share some time outside of a Magic event.

Carlos' deck is all about lands and recursion. The resiliency of the deck is amazing. I have seen the deck get stuffed repeatedly in games, only to see it bounce back again and again. I don't think I have ever played against the deck and come out on top.

The true power of the deck lies in the land base. Lands are easily the safest permanents on the battlefield as almost no one destroys them, and this deck revels in that. Carlos and I share a love of lands that goes beyond just tapping them for mana. When you look at the deck, skipping over the lands would be missing the showpiece of the deck.

This deck is not just about power though. In Carlos' own words:

Sean Patchen

Zedruu, Dungeon Master | Commander | Sean Patchen

• Commander (1)
• 1 Zedruu the Greathearted

• Creatures (21)
• 1 Akroma, Angel of Fury
• 1 Boreas Charger
• 1 Burnished Hart
• 1 Chromeshell Crab
• 1 Clone Shell
• 1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
• 1 Emrakul, the Promised End
• 1 Humble Defector
• 1 Karona's Zealot
• 1 Keeper of Keys
• 1 Knight of the White Orchid
• 1 Kor Cartographer
• 1 Malignus
• 1 Monastery Flock
• 1 Monastery Loremaster
• 1 Niv-Mizzet, Parun
• 1 Serra Avatar
• 1 Solemn Simulacrum
• 1 Stormtide Leviathan
• 1 Summoner's Egg
• 1 Vesuvan Shapeshifter

• Sorceries (1)
• 1 Fractured Identity

• Enchantments (18)
• 1 Animate Library
• 1 Banishing Light
• 1 Consulate Crackdown
• 1 Detention Sphere
• 1 Dispersing Orb
• 1 Grasp of Fate
• 1 Lightmine Field
• 1 Mana Flare
• 1 Mystic Barrier
• 1 Mystic Remora
• 1 Oblivion Ring
• 1 Possibility Storm
• 1 Quarantine Field
• 1 Rhystic Study
• 1 Shared Fate
• 1 Topsy Turvy
• 1 Well of Ideas
• 1 Yet Another Aether Vortex

• Artifacts (21)
• 1 Ashnod's Coupon
• 1 Avarice Amulet
• 1 Chromatic Lantern
• 1 Commander's Sphere
• 1 Coveted Jewel
• 1 Darksteel Ingot
• 1 Gemstone Array
• 1 Ghirapur Orrery
• 1 Gilded Lotus
• 1 Skullclamp
• 1 Sol Ring
• 1 Sword of Body and Mind
• 1 Sword of Dungeons & Dragons
• 1 Sword of Feast and Famine
• 1 Sword of Fire and Ice
• 1 Sword of Light and Shadow
• 1 Sword of War and Peace
• 1 The Grand Calcutron
• 1 Thought Vessel
• 1 Trading Post
• 1 Wayfarer's Bauble

• Lands (38)
• 4 Island
• 4 Mountain
• 5 Plains
• 1 Azorius Chancery
• 1 Boros Garrison
• 1 Cascade Bluffs
• 1 Command Tower
• 1 Exotic Orchard
• 1 Homeward Path
• 1 Izzet Boilerworks
• 1 Kher Keep
• 1 Mystic Gate
• 1 Mystic Monastery
• 1 Mystifying Maze
• 1 Path of Ancestry
• 1 Reflecting Pool
• 1 Reliquary Tower
• 1 Rugged Prairie
• 1 Sea of Clouds
• 1 Spinerock Knoll
• 1 Springjack Pasture
• 1 Temple of Enlightenment
• 1 Temple of Epiphany
• 1 Temple of Triumph
• 1 Vivid Crag
• 1 Vivid Creek
• 1 Vivid Meadow
• 1 Windbrisk Heights

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Sean and I were each fans of the others' content for a long time before we ever met. He was doing podcast work, building Cubes, and constructing wonderful Commander decks. We got a chance to work together on a project for an article I was writing for Wizards of the Coast and have been friends ever since.

A few years ago, Sean came up with this deck. The whole point of the deck is to bring D&D to your Commander game! His deck presents quests for the party to work through and awards the players when they beat them. It can be a group effort or the group can fight amongst themselves. I've been in games where the party fought the DM! In the end, it really didn't matter what the party chose to do. As long as everyone understood the premise of the deck, you were going to get a wild game experience, and that is what I love about it.

Andrew Magrini

Death by Democracy | Commander | Andrew Magrini

• Commander (1)
• 1 Queen Marchesa

• Creatures (28)
• 1 Agitator Ant
• 1 Anya, Merciless Angel
• 1 Archon of Justice
• 1 Ashen Rider
• 1 Athreos, God of Passage
• 1 Azra Oddsmaker
• 1 Boros Reckoner
• 1 Brutal Hordechief
• 1 Captivating Crew
• 1 Dawnbreak Reclaimer
• 1 Dockside Extortionist
• 1 Emeria Shepherd
• 1 Gisela, Blade of Goldnight
• 1 Goblin Spymaster
• 1 Kambal, Consul of Allocation
• 1 Magus of the Wheel
• 1 Ophiomancer
• 1 Orzhov Advokist
• 1 Selfless Squire
• 1 Sengir Autocrat
• 1 Sower of Discord
• 1 Spitemare
• 1 Sun Titan
• 1 Vial Smasher the Fierce
• 1 Wall of Omens
• 1 Wall of Souls
• 1 Windborn Muse
• 1 Xantcha, Sleeper Agent

• Instants (8)
• 1 Altar's Reap
• 1 Benevolent Offering
• 1 Crackling Doom
• 1 Rakdos Charm
• 1 Spontaneous Combustion
• 1 Thrill of Possibility
• 1 Volcanic Offering
• 1 Wake the Dead

• Sorceries (13)
• 1 Cleansing
• 1 Diabolic Intent
• 1 Disrupt Decorum
• 1 Faithless Looting
• 1 Gift of Estates
• 1 Grave Upheaval
• 1 Infernal Offering
• 1 Killing Wave
• 1 Martial Coup
• 1 Merciless Eviction
• 1 Night's Whisper
• 1 Ritual of the Machine
• 1 Tormenting Voice

• Enchantments (5)
• 1 Duelist's Heritage
• 1 Ghostly Prison
• 1 Havoc Festival
• 1 No Mercy
• 1 Season of the Witch

• Artifacts (7)
• 1 Bloodthirsty Blade
• 1 Boros Signet
• 1 Fellwar Stone
• 1 Helm of Possession
• 1 Key to the City
• 1 Orzhov Signet
• 1 Rakdos Signet

• Lands (38)
• 2 Mountain
• 7 Plains
• 9 Swamp
• 1 Ash Barrens
• 1 Badlands
• 1 Blood Crypt
• 1 Boros Garrison
• 1 Caves of Koilos
• 1 Command Tower
• 1 Dragonskull Summit
• 1 Exotic Orchard
• 1 Orzhov Basilica
• 1 Plateau
• 1 Rakdos Carnarium
• 1 Reflecting Pool
• 1 Sacred Foundry
• 1 Scrubland
• 1 Smoldering Marsh
• 1 Tainted Field
• 1 Temple of Malice
• 1 Temple of Silence
• 1 Temple of the False God
• 1 Temple of Triumph

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Andrew is one of those people who loves excitement. I'm not talking about jumping out of a plane excitement, but he gets engaged when someone it talking about something they love, or he is sharing one of his passions. If you are talking to Magrini about how excited you are to see how the paint on your wall is drying, then he is in! Andrew is a great guy to be around.

We met a couple of times briefly, then I mentioned I wanted to go to Gencon. He offered up a place to stay with him and we spent most of Gencon together checking out games, playing Magic, and having great meals. Since then we have been good friends. I never go to New York without meeting up.

Magrini and I share a love of the political aspects of Commander. We both love the idea of being able to convince others to act and use their resources instead of using our own. Some people talk about the value of a 2 for 1 trade. We laugh at the silliness of that; why use even one of your own cards?! Magrini's deck is designed to do just that. Queen Marchesa brings out The Monarch and he gives it away as quickly as possible, using it as a tool to encourage players to attack each other for card advantage, or to limit someone's board position. The deck can still wade into the fray and mix it up when it has to, but the joy is to try and puppet master the board. I try to include some of that in my decks, but I have never created an entire deck where that was the overarching theme. I love this deck!

Adam Styborski

Stybsy Slimefoot | Commander | Adam Styborski

• Commander (1)
• 1 Slimefoot, the Stowaway

• Creatures (36)
• 1 Avenger of Zendikar
• 1 Caustic Caterpillar
• 1 Dawntreader Elk
• 1 Diligent Farmhand
• 1 Erebos, Bleak-Hearted
• 1 Eternal Witness
• 1 Farhaven Elf
• 1 Golgari Findbroker
• 1 Grismold, the Dreadsower
• 1 Jade Mage
• 1 Krav, the Unredeemed
• 1 Lampad of Death's Vigil
• 1 Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest
• 1 Mycoloth
• 1 Nissa, Vastwood Seer
• 1 Ophiomancer
• 1 Plaguecrafter
• 1 Poison-Tip Archer
• 1 Reclamation Sage
• 1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
• 1 Seedborn Muse
• 1 Smothering Abomination
• 1 Species Specialist
• 1 Springbloom Druid
• 1 Syr Konrad, the Grim
• 1 Tendershoot Dryad
• 1 Thelonite Hermit
• 1 Thrashing Brontodon
• 1 Vindictive Vampire
• 1 Viscera Seer
• 1 Woe Strider
• 1 Wood Elves
• 1 Yavimaya Granger
• 1 Zulaport Cutthroat
• 1 Yahenni, Undying Partisan
• 1 Yawgmoth, Thran Physician

• Instants (7)
• 1 Beast Within
• 1 Deathsprout
• 1 Fungal Rebirth
• 1 Putrefy
• 1 Scatter the Seeds
• 1 Spore Swarm
• 1 Sprout Swarm

• Sorceries (4)
• 1 Primal Growth
• 1 Reprocess
• 1 Saproling Migration
• 1 Saproling Symbiosis

• Enchantments (15)
• 1 Bastion of Remembrance
• 1 Black Market
• 1 Cryptolith Rite
• 1 Dark Prophecy
• 1 Dictate of Erebos
• 1 Doubling Season
• 1 Fungal Plots
• 1 Grave Pact
• 1 Growing Rites of Itlimoc
• 1 Moldervine Reclamation
• 1 Necrogenesis
• 1 Parallel Lives
• 1 Saproling Burst
• 1 Spidersilk Armor
• 1 Verdant Embrace

• Artifacts (3)
• 1 Ashnod's Altar
• 1 Helm of Possession
• 1 Skullclamp

• Lands (34)
• 10 Forest
• 10 Swamp
• 1 Bojuka Bog
• 1 Cabal Coffers
• 1 Cabal Stronghold
• 1 Castle Locthwain
• 1 Command Tower
• 1 Exotic Orchard
• 1 Llanowar Wastes
• 1 Nurturing Peatland
• 1 Phyrexian Tower
• 1 Tainted Wood
• 1 Tectonic Edge
• 1 Twilight Mire
• 1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
• 1 Woodland Cemetery

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Many of you know Stybs through his various roles in the Magic community. Stybs was the editor here back when this was GatheringMagic.com. Stybs was responsible for bringing me on board here, and recommending me to Wizards to take over his Serious Fun column. We started attending PaxEast and other events and became friends beyond just the Magic world.

Stybs was particularly important to my writing. There were times when he would send something back to me and suggest a rewrite from another perspective. I really hated the extra work that was involved in that, but he made me a better writer for it.

I asked Adam if I could share this deck, as it typifies Stybs to me: fun and value. This deck is a blast to play with and against. It always seems like you have a chance to win, so the gameplay is there. It rarely just has nothing to do as you are drawing cards or recurring cards from your graveyard.

Brandon Isleib and Daryl Bockett

Thraximundar: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle | Commander | Daryl Bockett

• Commander (1)
• 1 Thraximundar

• Creatures (22)
• 1 Baleful Strix
• 1 Burnished Hart
• 1 Dack's Duplicate
• 1 Dire Fleet Daredevil
• 1 Duplicant
• 1 Fleshbag Marauder
• 1 Gonti, Lord of Luxury
• 1 Hostage Taker
• 1 Liliana's Specter
• 1 Merciless Executioner
• 1 Meteor Golem
• 1 Mulldrifter
• 1 Nucklavee
• 1 Pilgrim's Eye
• 1 Plaguecrafter
• 1 Puppeteer Clique
• 1 Sea Gate Oracle
• 1 Sheoldred, Whispering One
• 1 Sidisi, Undead Vizier
• 1 Solemn Simulacrum
• 1 Vindictive Lich
• 1 Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed

• Planeswalkers (2)
• 1 Nicol Bolas, God-Pharaoh
• 1 Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker

• Instants (15)
• 1 Brainstorm
• 1 Capsize
• 1 Cauldron Dance
• 1 Corpse Dance
• 1 Cyclonic Rift
• 1 Desertion
• 1 Ghostly Flicker
• 1 Impulse
• 1 Mana Drain
• 1 Scour from Existence
• 1 Silence the Believers
• 1 Supplant Form
• 1 Vona's Hunger
• 1 Wake the Dead
• 1 Wild Ricochet

• Sorceries (11)
• 1 All is Dust
• 1 By Force
• 1 Cruel Ultimatum
• 1 Damnation
• 1 Dark Intimations
• 1 Decree of Pain
• 1 Demonic Tutor
• 1 Disrupt Decorum
• 1 Mire in Misery
• 1 Vandalblast
• 1 Victimize

• Artifacts (9)
• 1 Darksteel Ingot
• 1 Helm of Possession
• 1 Nevinyrral's Disk
• 1 Oblivion Stone
• 1 Panharmonicon
• 1 Primal Amulet
• 1 Sol Ring
• 1 Thran Dynamo
• 1 Whip of Erebos

• Lands (38)
• 2 Island
• 2 Mountain
• 5 Swamp
• 1 Badlands
• 1 Blood Crypt
• 1 Bloodstained Mire
• 1 Bojuka Bog
• 1 Castle Vantress
• 1 Command Tower
• 1 Dimir Aqueduct
• 1 Dragonskull Summit
• 1 Halimar Depths
• 1 High Market
• 1 Izzet Boilerworks
• 1 Luxury Suite
• 1 Morphic Pool
• 1 Path of Ancestry
• 1 Phyrexian Tower
• 1 Polluted Delta
• 1 Rakdos Carnarium
• 1 Reflecting Pool
• 1 Reliquary Tower
• 1 Scalding Tarn
• 1 Steam Vents
• 1 Sulfur Falls
• 1 Sunken Hollow
• 1 Temple of Deceit
• 1 Temple of Epiphany
• 1 Underground Sea
• 1 Volcanic Island
• 1 Volrath's Stronghold
• 1 Watery Grave

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Amasskan Way Tunnel | Commander | Brandon Isleib

• Commanders (2)
• 1 Kraum, Ludevic's Opus
• 1 Silas Renn, Seeker Adept

• Creatures (20)
• 1 Archfiend of Depravity
• 1 Aven Eternal
• 1 Dreadhorde Twins
• 1 Duskmantle Seer
• 1 Emissary of Grudges
• 1 Eternal Skylord
• 1 Gleaming Overseer
• 1 Graveborn Muse
• 1 Grim Initiate
• 1 Herald of the Dreadhorde
• 1 Invading Manticore
• 1 Ixidron
• 1 Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
• 1 Lazotep Reaver
• 1 Silent Arbiter
• 1 Solemn Simulacrum
• 1 Spellskite
• 1 The Scarab God
• 1 Venomous Changeling
• 1 Vizier of the Scorpion

• Planeswalkers (1)
• 1 Angrath, Captain of Chaos

• Instants (5)
• 1 Aetherize
• 1 Commence the Endgame
• 1 Crush Dissent
• 1 Lazotep Plating
• 1 Rakdos Charm

• Sorceries (12)
• 1 Bleeding Edge
• 1 Callous Dismissal
• 1 Chandra's Ignition
• 1 Enter the God-Eternals
• 1 Honor the God-Pharaoh
• 1 Invade the City
• 1 Relentless Advance
• 1 Skull Storm
• 1 Toll of the Invasion
• 1 Torment of Hailfire
• 1 Vandalblast
• 1 Widespread Brutality

• Enchantments (4)
• 1 Caverns of Despair
• 1 Dreadhorde Invasion
• 1 Phyrexian Scriptures
• 1 Smoke

• Artifacts (16)
• 1 Amorphous Axe
• 1 Commander's Sphere
• 1 Crawlspace
• 1 Dimir Locket
• 1 Dimir Signet
• 1 Forebear's Blade
• 1 Izzet Locket
• 1 Izzet Signet
• 1 Key to the City
• 1 Rakdos Locket
• 1 Rakdos Signet
• 1 Runed Stalactite
• 1 Sword of Light and Shadow
• 1 Sword of Vengeance
• 1 Unscythe, Killer of Kings
• 1 Wayfarer's Bauble

• Lands (40)
• 12 Swamp
• 9 Island
• 9 Mountain
• 1 Bloodfell Caves
• 1 Cascade Bluffs
• 1 Command Tower
• 1 Crumbling Necropolis
• 1 Dismal Backwater
• 1 Evolving Wilds
• 1 Graven Cairns
• 1 Grixis Panorama
• 1 Swiftwater Cliffs
• 1 Terramorphic Expanse

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I first started writing, completely because of Brandon and Daryl. The three of us started our own site, The Muse Vessel. We wrote about multiplayer Magic every week for a full year. We edited each other's work and produced our own content. Each of us posted on a particular day of the week. There was no money involved, but we never missed a deadline for the full year. That labor of love was amazing and I loved all the time I spent rehashing and editing. Our discussions were memorable and each of us changed our style of play and how we built decks because of the other. No one has had a bigger impact on my writing and my desire to write than these two.

Daryl's deck is very much Daryl. Daryl was always the Black mage in the group. Daryl was all about "doing the thing." If you could crush the opponent then do it. Daryl's decks create games where players must interact and advance the game, or they will simply stop being part of the game.

Brandon's deck very much fit his role as the crazy deck-builder. He built decks with wild interactions that always left you wondering what was next! In his words:

Thanks for all the Fish

As every celebration must come to an end, I bring this article to a close, and my writing to an extended hiatus. Since COVID started, my opportunities to play Magic have decreased dramatically. My weekly get togethers have stopped. We tried meeting online but that has seen a much smaller group of players and it is regularly canceled. Add to this a significantly increased workload that has limited my spare time to a point where writing has, for the first time in eleven years, begun to feel like a chore. I haven't been able to put my all into my writing for months now, and it is time to let it rest.

Thankfully, there is so much great Magic content available right now! Just here at Coolstuff there are great writers making great content every week! Add in the podcasts, YouTubers, and streamers and Commander players could spend hours each day just consuming content!

I hope all of you remember that the best games of Commander aren't the ones you win, but the ones where everyone playing has fun!

Best Wishes,

Bruce

@manaburned