Hello everyone! I'm Levi from The Thought Vessel, and today we're back with another Commander Kryptonite article. This week, we're taking a look at the big bad vampire himself, Edgar Markov. We'll break down Edgar, how these decks function, their strengths and weaknesses, and, finally, how to beat them. Let's begin!

Between 2016 and 2017, Wizards of the Coast released some of the most powerful commanders of all time through their preconstructed decks. Atraxa is still the top commander on EDHREC, despite being released back in 2016. The 2017 batch, however, focused entirely on creature types. We already discussed The Ur-Dragon in a previous article, but that set had another trick up its sleeve: Edgar Markov for the vampires. What made these commanders so powerful was the Eminence ability, which functions from the command zone and is nearly impossible to interact with.

Banned in French Commander (also known as Duel Commander), Edgar Markov has a strange inverse effect: the more competitive the deck, the less likely you are to actually cast him. Edgar's ability creates a 1/1 Black Vampire token whenever you cast another Vampire. In lower-powered builds, players often fill their deck with whatever Vampires they like, building up an army before casting Edgar to pump the team and close out the game in just a few turns. In more competitive versions, the goal is to knock players out before you even have enough mana to cast Edgar by swarming the board with cheap, aggressive Vampires. Edgar is about as close to a true Aggro commander as we get in this format, outside of Voltron strategies. Here is an example of an average Edgar Markov deck you might see in your pod.

Average Edgar Markov | Commander

• Commander (1)
• 1 Edgar Markov

• Creatures (33)
• 1 Anowon, the Ruin Sage
• 1 Blood Artist
• 1 Bloodletter of Aclazotz
• 1 Bloodline Keeper
• 1 Bloodthirsty Conqueror
• 1 Captivating Vampire
• 1 Charismatic Conqueror
• 1 Clavile�o, First of the Blessed
• 1 Cordial Vampire
• 1 Cruel Celebrant
• 1 Drana, Liberator of Malakir
• 1 Edgar, Charmed Groom
• 1 Elenda, the Dusk Rose
• 1 Forerunner of the Legion
• 1 Indulgent Aristocrat
• 1 Knight of the Ebon Legion
• 1 Legion Lieutenant
• 1 Malakir Bloodwitch
• 1 Markov Baron
• 1 Master of Dark Rites
• 1 Mavren Fein, Dusk Apostle
• 1 Patron of the Vein
• 1 Rakish Heir
• 1 Sanctum Seeker
• 1 Stromkirk Captain
• 1 Twilight Prophet
• 1 Vampire Nighthawk
• 1 Vampire Socialite
• 1 Vampire of the Dire Moon
• 1 Viscera Seer
• 1 Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose
• 1 Welcoming Vampire
• 1 Yahenni, Undying Partisan

• Planeswalkers (1)
• 1 Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord

• Instants (7)
• 1 Anguished Unmaking
• 1 Boros Charm
• 1 Dark Ritual
• 1 Path to Exile
• 1 Swords to Plowshares
• 1 Teferi's Protection
• 1 Village Rites

• Sorceries (8)
• 1 Damn
• 1 Demonic Tutor
• 1 Diabolic Intent
• 1 New Blood
• 1 Olivia's Wrath
• 1 Pact of the Serpent
• 1 Ruinous Ultimatum
• 1 Vampiric Tutor

• Enchantments (6)
• 1 Anointed Procession
• 1 Exquisite Blood
• 1 Phyrexian Arena
• 1 Sanguine Bond
• 1 Shared Animosity
• 1 Smothering Tithe

• Artifacts (9)
• 1 Arcane Signet
• 1 Blade of the Bloodchief
• 1 Herald's Horn
• 1 Orzhov Signet
• 1 Rakdos Signet
• 1 Skullclamp
• 1 Sol Ring
• 1 Talisman of Hierarchy
• 1 Vanquisher's Banner

• Lands (34)
• 1 Arid Mesa
• 1 Blood Crypt
• 1 Bloodstained Mire
• 1 Bojuka Bog
• 1 Cavern of Souls
• 1 Caves of Koilos
• 1 Command Tower
• 1 Dragonskull Summit
• 1 Exotic Orchard
• 1 Godless Shrine
• 1 Isolated Chapel
• 1 Luxury Suite
• 1 Marsh Flats
• 1 Mountain
• 1 Nomad Outpost
• 1 Path of Ancestry
• 2 Plains
• 1 Sacred Foundry
• 1 Savai Triome
• 1 Secluded Courtyard
• 1 Spectator Seating
• 8 Swamp
• 1 Unclaimed Territory
• 1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
• 1 Vault of Champions
• 1 Voldaren Estate

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Strengths

The deck's biggest strength is speed. It preys on casual decks that spend their early turns ramping or setting up. Before you know it, you're already dead. Vampires are also a well-supported tribe, with plenty of lords that buff the tokens and cards like Coat of Arms to take things over the top. On top of that, the deck has access to ample removal and lifelink, making traditional aggro strategies less effective against it.

Weaknesses

Like most aggro decks, Edgar Markov struggles with running out of gas. These colors aren't known for stellar card draw, so if you can withstand the early assault, you can usually stabilize and start casting bigger, more impactful spells than Edgar can handle. The deck also relies entirely on combat. Strategies that control the board or win without combat--such as aristocrats or combo decks--are particularly troublesome for Edgar.

Cards to Watch Out For

• Reconnaissance - I've talked about this card before. Anything that lets the Edgar player remove creatures from combat to keep them from dying is a huge problem. It allows them to swing freely and safely, speeding up their clock dramatically.
• Cordial Vampire - This card is brutal. Every time one of Edgar's Vampires dies, the rest get stronger. After just a few deaths, the Vampire army becomes lethal. Deal with this card before it's too late.
• Captivating Vampire - This might be the scariest card on the list. Not only is it a lord, but tapping five Vampires lets Edgar steal any creature and turn it into a Vampire. The worst I've personally seen was an Edgar player stealing a Seedborn Muse, which made it nearly impossible for anyone to play creatures without feeding the Vampire horde. To make matters worse, the constant stream of 1/1 tokens means this ability comes online fast.
• Skullclamp - Mardu isn't great at drawing cards, and we want to keep it that way. With all the 1/1 tokens, Skullclamp becomes one mana to draw two cards. In Edgar, that can easily add up to 10-20 extra cards by turn 6 or 7, which is usually enough to finish off the table.

How to Beat Edgar

The key to beating Edgar Markov is early defense. Most experienced aggro players will try to knock out one opponent at a time to reduce resistance, which often encourages the rest of the table to team up and slow them down. Your goal should be to develop your board with blockers while staying under the radar--don't be the player who slams an early Sol Ring and becomes Edgar's first target.

Instead, build your defenses and look for a board wipe. Once the board is cleared and hands are low, your individual card quality should pull you ahead.

Additionally, try to have a win condition that doesn't rely on combat. Mardu is notoriously bad at interacting with spells on the stack, so a card like Exsanguinate can be absolutely

lethal.

Commander Kryptonite

Still having trouble with Edgar? Here are some cards you can add to your deck to put the vampires in their place:

1. Crawlspace - Edgar is a "go wide" deck. It doesn't run many big creatures, so limiting how many attackers can swing at you drastically reduces the pressure and lets you keep up with blockers.
2. Inkshield - As mentioned earlier, Mardu can't do much about spells on the stack. Inkshield is an excellent counter to aggressive decks. For five mana, you prevent the damage and create an army of 2/1 flying Inklings. In most cases, this is enough to swing back for lethal.
3. Pestilence - This is a fantastic tool for mowing down 1/1 Vampires as they appear. All you need is a creature to keep Pestilence alive. There's almost always someone with a 5/5 creature or something similarly durable, which makes Pestilence a relentless removal engine.

And that's how you beat Edgar Markov!

If you have a commander you'd like to see featured in Commander Kryptonite, send us an email at thoughtvesselshow@gmail.com.