Heroes fare none too well in viper nests like Thunder Junction.

It's a lawless rabble of the ambitious, the ruthless, and all manner of dusty lowlife in between. Some are after the obvious: Gold, power, even cheap thrill. They're not the ones who worry me. It's the lust for reputation that drives the hearts of the most vile. Those who pen legacies via an inkwell full of blood. Standing against these monsters requires a fortitude seldom seen in these parts. And even if you can summon up the courage, staying alive is another matter, entirely.

But despite all that, there are still those that defy expectations...

To get the feel for a specific plane, look no further than its set mechanics. The people of Kaldheim value tales of glorious combat, thus the Boast and a large quantity of Sagas. Fabricate illustrates how Kaladesh holds creative invention in high esteem. So what about Outlaws of Thunder Junction? Well, if the name alone wasn't enough to give it away, this is the set where Mercenaries, Rogues, Assassins, Pirates, and Warlocks all got to join the Outlaw club (Ex. Olivia, Opulent Outlaw). There's enough law-breaking that even crime got its own ruling: Any time you cast a spell or activate an ability that targets an opponent or a permanent, spell/ability, or card in a graveyard they control. That's a lot of felonies, folks.

So, with all these shady characters running around, who's keeping the citizenry of Thunder Junction safe? There's Bertram Greywater's Sterling Company, but their protection stretches only as far as one's wallet. This leaves heroism up to lone wanderers, those who don't like when humble folk' get pushed around by ruffians. Maybe they'll don a town's silver star. Or take their vigilante justice straight to the villains on the prairie. Whatever the tactic, townsfolk are always happy to have their company. And wouldn't you know it, Wylie Duke, Atiin Hero just rode into town this morning.

We know little about Wylie Duke, which is fitting, given his Western archetype. He's the mysterious gunslinger atop noble steed, ridin' into town to set all wrongs right.

As a card, Wylie Duke, Atiin Hero presents a dilemma. He draws us a card each time he becomes tapped, but also possesses Vigilance. Without combat to rely on, Wylie asks 'What else ya got, partner?' Fortunately for us, there are quite a few options. Most thematic is the Saddle ability (Fortune, Loyal Steed), but we could also trade four hooves for four cylinders (Mysterious Limousine). Other avenues include Enlist (Guardian of New Benalia), Conspire (Gleeful Sabotage), and even forms of mana production (Paradise Mantle, Honor-Worn Shaku). It only takes one outlet to start a draw engine, so we'll include friends in the '99 to spread the value out.

Seraphic Steed by Jonas De Ro

1. Tapping Creatures

Wylie's the most obvious payoff in this area, but he's got an deck full of synergistic creatures that also benefit from tapping either themselves or other troops. Glare of Subdual, Song of Freyalise, Cryptolith Rite, Collective Effort, and all our Convoke cards (Chord of Calling, Devouring Light, etc.) want as many creatures as possibles. We also get more utility out of cards like Gideon's Lawkeeper and Giant Killer, who keep threats at bay when not targeting our own general before our untap step. Repeated tapping of our general keeps our hand full, so there should be plenty of backup troops in the event of an enemy 'wrath. One of the biggest risks to a creature-heavy strategy is how sweepers devastate our impact on the game, but Wylie having a built-in card advantage mitigates that. That said, because our deck is so creature-heavy, we still bring in plenty of synergistic protection (Ephemeral Shields, Grand Crescendo, Clever Concealment, Saryth, the Viper's Fang, Smuggler's Surprise).

2. Untapping Creatures

Drawing an extra card per turn is nice, but we can do better than that. Our deck contains many tap-effects, but without a way to consistently untap Wylie Duke, Atiin Hero, we'll only get one trigger each turn. The solution is to bring in cards like Seedborn Muse, Drumbellower, Quest for Renewal, Reveille Squad, and White Plume Adventurer. These effects also help our non-Vigilance creatures attack freely, without fear of not being able to tap for value later on. They also give our creature-heavy deck a strong defensive element, ensuring we'll have a constant array of blockers to intercept enemy attacks. Once an opponent's combat step has passed, we're free to use our creatures to fuel tap-engines, as the above cards will untap them by the time the next enemy combat phase rolls around. Rinse and repeat, and suddenly you find yourself drawing multiple extra cards each turn.

Wylie Duke, Atiin Hero's 3-mana CMC also pairs well with Order of Whiteclay, who revives our general while ignoring Commander tax.

3. Tokens

Wylie can't tap everything, so we're already running a heavy creature count to share the load. White/Green love copious creatures, especially when it comes to a skill both colors share: Token Generation. Cards that produce multiple creatures (Sprout Swarm, Emmara, Soul of the Accord, Selesnya Evangel) not only provide more damage to point at our opponents, but also ensures no tap-engine will be left underutilized. Our deck already runs a healthy dose of Convoke, so token synergies function just as much for mana-production as they do attackers/blockers. As the game goes late, our ability to multiply a token army increases exponentially via cards like March of the Multitudes, Rhys, the Redeemed, and Ghalta and Mavren. With enough creatures in play, sheer numbers become win conditions. Halo Fountain provides card advantage and an untap outlet along the way, while the tutor-able Craterhoof Behemoth and Moonshaker Calvary drop onto the battlefield like iron bricks and turn all our troops into nightmarish finishers.

In summary, while the bones of our deck function along classic Selesnya style - lots of creatures and creature-support engines - Wylie Duke, Atiin Hero brings two very distinctive advantages to the mix. For one, he provides an incredible card advantage engine with even a handful of tap/untap outlets, ensuring we never run out of gas. Secondly, the need for all those tap/untap cards warrants the need for a higher creature count, which is something White/Green already excels at, so the synergies come naturally and in high supply. As a result, while our deck certainly runs a few budget-busters, there's a veritable encyclopedia of creature-centric options available for under a dollar.

Let's saddle up and see what card advantage opportunities await!

The Card Draw Kid | Commander | Matthew Lotti

• Commander (1)
• 1 Wylie Duke, Atiin Hero

• Creatures (24)
• 1 Aradesh, the Founder
• 1 Citanul Hierophants
• 1 Citanul Stalwart
• 1 Craterhoof Behemoth
• 1 Drumbellower
• 1 Emmara, Soul of the Accord
• 1 Fortune, Loyal Steed
• 1 Ghalta and Mavren
• 1 Giant Killer
• 1 Gideon's Lawkeeper
• 1 Guardian of New Benalia
• 1 Jaspera Sentinel
• 1 Katilda, Dawnhart Prime
• 1 Moonshaker Cavalry
• 1 Nullmage Shepherd
• 1 Order of Whiteclay
• 1 Reveille Squad
• 1 Rhys the Redeemed
• 1 Saryth, the Viper's Fang
• 1 Scaretiller
• 1 Seedborn Muse
• 1 Selesnya Evangel
• 1 Seraphic Steed
• 1 White Plume Adventurer

• Instants (14)
• 1 Aura Mutation
• 1 Chord of Calling
• 1 Clever Concealment
• 1 Devouring Light
• 1 Ephemeral Shields
• 1 Final Showdown
• 1 Grand Crescendo
• 1 Heroic Intervention
• 1 Kabira Takedown // Kabira Plateau
• 1 Legolas's Quick Reflexes
• 1 March of the Multitudes
• 1 Sejiri Shelter // Sejiri Glacier
• 1 Smuggler's Surprise
• 1 Sprout Swarm

• Sorceries (10)
• 1 Bala Ged Recovery // Bala Ged Sanctuary
• 1 Celebrate the Harvest
• 1 Collective Effort
• 1 Emeria's Call // Emeria, Shattered Skyclave
• 1 Everything Comes to Dust
• 1 Farseek
• 1 Gleeful Sabotage
• 1 Harvest Season
• 1 Skyshroud Claim
• 1 Turntimber Symbiosis // Turntimber, Serpentine Wood

• Enchantments (6)
• 1 Aura Shards
• 1 Cryptolith Rite
• 1 Glare of Subdual
• 1 Quest for Renewal
• 1 Song of Freyalise
• 1 Virtue of Loyalty

• Artifacts (10)
• 1 Conqueror's Galleon // Conqueror's Foothold
• 1 Halo Fountain
• 1 Honor-Worn Shaku
• 1 Mysterious Limousine
• 1 Nautiloid Ship
• 1 Paradise Mantle
• 1 Parhelion II
• 1 Relic of Legends
• 1 Springleaf Drum
• 1 Unlicensed Hearse

• Battles (2)
• 1 Invasion of Ikoria // Zilortha, Apex of Ikoria
• 1 Invasion of Zendikar // Awakened Skyclave

• Lands (33)
• 7 Forest
• 8 Plains
• 1 Boseiju, Who Endures
• 1 Bountiful Promenade
• 1 Gavony Township
• 1 Grove of the Guardian
• 1 Holdout Settlement
• 1 Horizon Canopy
• 1 Krosan Verge
• 1 Lush Portico
• 1 Overgrown Farmland
• 1 Reliquary Tower
• 1 Restless Prairie
• 1 Scattered Groves
• 1 Sunpetal Grove
• 1 Survivors' Encampment
• 1 Temple Garden
• 1 The Shire
• 1 Windbrisk Heights
• 1 Wooded Bastion

Buy This Deck Export text

More Deputies

Wylie Duke, Atiin Hero's preferred ole' timey Western choices for transportation include Fortune, Loyal Steed and Seraphic Steed, but that doesn't mean he's above mechanical horsepower. Trade in saddle for steering wheel, and suddenly Wylie is removing creatures via Mysterious Limousine or graveyards via Unlicensed Hearse and Nautiloid Ship. Perhaps he'll take a spin on the Seven Seas with Conqueror's Galleon // Conqueoror's Foothold? He'll even make a left turn at Ravnica to ask the Boros Legion if he can borrow Parhelion II. Whether your ride is animal or automotive, they'll all provide means to tap our commander while producing bonus effects atop the card draw Wylie provides in response.

Other troops reward us for tapping themselves (Scaretiller), other creatures (Nullmage Shepherd, Jaspera Sentinel), or by untapping everyone else (Drumbellower, White Plume Adventurer). With so many ways to rotate our army, you'd swear silver-bordered cards were legal and someone handed you Snow Mercy.

Supporting Spells

Running a creature-heavy strategy makes our arsenal of removal more potent with increasing numbers. Aura Shards, Kabira Takedown // Kabira Plateau, Devouring Light, Collective Effort, and Gleeful Sabotage want multiple bodies to best maximize their effect(s). Aura Shards is especially nasty with our token-synergies, triggering multiple times off cards that make numerous creatures (Aura Mutation, Sprout Swarm, March of the Multitudes). Our mass-removal also rewards a heavy creature count, with Everything Comes to Dust sparing creature types used to Convoke it, and Final Showdown granting our most valuable creature Indestructible before wiping away the rest of the board at Instant speed.

But enough removing about permanents. Let's turn out attention towards saving them. Wylie Duke, Atiin Hero wants to stick around and draw cards, so protective spells like Ephemeral Shields, Legolas's Quick Reflexes, Sejiri Shelter // Seijri Glacier, and if we really, really need to, even the defensive mode of Final Showdown ensure our general stays healthy. If you'd rather extend the shield across our entire army, you've plenty coverage via Grand Crescendo, Heroic Intervention, Smuggler's Surprise, and Clever Concealment.

Synergistic Ramp

While all Commander decks need some form of ramp, Wylie Duke, Atiin Hero's variety extends past typical Green fare. Oh sure, Farseek and Skyshroud Claim are included for efficiency, but most of our ramp directly syncs with our gameplan. Katilda, Dawnheart Prime, Citanul Hierophants, Cryptolith Rite, Jaspera Sentinel, Citanul Steward, Song of Freyalise, Paradise Mantle, and Springleaf Drum turn our army into direct mana sources that tap to activate. Even our standard assortment of mana rocks draw extra power from having a legendary creature on hand (Honor-worn Shaku, Relic of Legends). Other sources of ramp like Harvest Season, Celebrate the Harvest, and Invasion of Zendikar // Awakened Skyclave reward our ample army with greater mana output.

Among our lands, while cards like Holdout Settlement and Survivor's Encampment are usually relegated to Limited-only, when paired with Wylie Duke, they provide yet another source of draw. Even better are The Shire and Grove of the Guardian, which provide bonuses alongside cards and bit of life from our commander. Finally, lands like Gavony Township, Windbrisk Heights, and Restless Prairie reward us for expanding our army.

Final Showdown by Izzy

I guess this town really wasn't big enough.

Everyone likes to draw cards, not just in Commander, but any game of Magic. Stapling a repeatable source onto a deck's headliner often comes with drawbacks or caveats. Wylie Duke, Atiin Hero in no exception, but he's in the color-combo most adept at bypassing the Vigilance hurdle. Tapping our commander is far easier than it appears, and when you back him up with a army of synergistic troops, the rewards will often exceed an extra card. Be it via horseback or automobile, druidic ritual or militant gardening, Wylie's got plenty of tricks to keep the value coming.

Thanks for reading, and may you never be short on card draw.

-Matt-

@Intrepid_Tautog