"Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron..."

Wait, wrong story.

Unless there's a Shakespeare-block no one told me about.

While Wilds of Eldraine is more Arthurian legend and fairytale than it is English literature, it's bewitching trio of scheming sisters nonetheless call to mind the scene from Macbeth. Especially Agatha of the Vile Cauldron, whose penchant for the culinary arts is as twisted as ye olde' fairytales would have you believe. We're talking Brothers Grimm-level dark, folks. She's not cooking up potions in that pot, but even if she were, you can bet the list of ingredients would feature some unwilling components. She's not called "Agatha the Hungry" for nothing.

Agatha's Soul Cauldron by Jason A. Engle

Uh, is that a ponytail sticking out of the pot?

Within the realm of cardboard, Agatha offers a tantalizing way to heavily-discount activated abilities among our creatures. Though she starts small in stature, the more we boost her stats, the greater cost reduction she'll provide. Send Agatha to the gym enough, and there's the potential to pull repeated activations from normally expensive abilities. Some of these are potent to win the game on their own (Bhaal's Invoker), but if not, Agatha has another spice for the stew. She wields her own activated ability, which not only grows progressively cheaper as she grows bigger, but also powers up the rest of our team. If a few individual cards with abilities aren't enough to win, this enables a go-wide backup plan for the final points of damage.

An important caveat when it comes to using Agatha of the Vile Cauldron as your commander: Her discount only applies to activated abilities among the living. Abilities that function from the graveyard - Unearth (Cityscape Leveler), Embalm (Heart-Piercer Manticore), Eternalize (Timeless Witness), Encore (Impulsive Pilferer), Escape (Phoenix of Ash) - won't have their costs reduced in conjunction with Agatha's power. Same goes for abilities that function out of your hand like Cycling (Krosan Tusker) or Bloodrush (Wrecking Ogre). A creature must be on the battlefield to receive the discount.

Touching again on literary inspiration, the story of Wilds of Eldraine revolves around the classic "Hero's Journey" by Joseph Campbell. Though most of Eldraine was ravaged by Elesh Norn // The Argent Etchings's Phyrexian invasion, one small village in the middle remained unscathed. Be it too remote or insignificant in the eyes of the invaders, this area was spared the majority of extraplanar horror. However, it is suffering interplanar consequences as a result. To combat the invasion, a trio of witches - Agatha of the Vile Cauldron, Hylda of the Icy Crown, and Eriette of the Charmed Apple teamed up with Fae noble Talion, the Kindly Lord. The result was a mass-sleep spell that swept over the invaders, rendering many inoperable until Norn's defeat on Mirrodin. Unfortunately, the slumber also affected much of Eldraine's native population, and never one to relinquish power, the witches have done little to lift the spell. Eriette of the Charmed Apple has actually been in cahoots with Ashiok, Wicked Manipulator, who's fondness for nightmares blends perfectly with a snoozing citizenry.

Jump back to that tiny village, and enter our young hero, Kellan, the Fae-Blooded. Everyone in town knows of Kellan's mystical heritage, and gives him no shortage of grief over it, but has no idea of his father's identity. Sadly, neither does Kellan, so when Talion poses the following proposition: "Oust the three witches and break the eternal slumber in exchange for information on your fae-father", the boy readily accepts and begins his heroic adventure. All questing heroes need companions, so soon into his journey, Kellan teams up with the Red-Riding-Hood-esque Ruby, Daring Tracker, currently searching for her lost brother Peter. Their travels soon find them fleeing from a savage wolf-knight and into the home of Agatha of the Vile Cauldron. Said cooking vessel - Agatha's Soul Cauldron - was an item gifted to the witch after she assisted Talion with the planar sleep spell. The cauldron allows Agatha to feed on the energies of those cooked within. A sort of spectral-cannibalism, thus Agatha's nickname: "The Hungry". When Kellan and Ruby arrive, Agatha is just about to boil up a captured Syr Imodane, the Pyrohammer. Kellan puts an end to the witch's culinary ways by pushing her into her own cauldron (Feed the Cauldron), paying homage to the similar demise of the witch from "Hansel and Gretel", from whom Agatha was based. With Agatha's death, the pursuing wolf-knight returned to his original form: Peter, for whom the witch had enchanted to serve her vile commands. Score a win for our heroes, one that would go down in Eldraine folk-history (A Tale for the Ages).

In cardboard form, Agatha and her cauldron represent increasing power as fallen creatures are 'fed upon', coupled with the ability to absorb the abilities of these creatures. Considering Agatha of the Vile Cauldron already has her own activated-ability, alongside the capability to discount the activated abilities of others, and the thematic implication is that she's already feasted on multiple victims. Chilling stuff. In practice, her card plays more tactically than the disruption-harkening lore would imply. Getting the most out of Agatha as a Commander requires a delicate balance of ingredients. Our deck needs to include both ample support and payoffs. Let's break down the herbs and spices individually.

Double, Double Toil and Trouble | Commander | Matthew Lotti

• Commander (1)
• 1 Agatha of the Viles Cauldron

• Creatures (32)
• 1 Baru, Wurmspeaker
• 1 Benevolent Hydra
• 1 Bhaal's Invoker
• 1 Capricopian
• 1 Captivating Crew
• 1 Clay Golem
• 1 Death Kiss
• 1 Dragonkin Berserker
• 1 Etali, Primal Conqueror // Etali, Primal Sickness
• 1 Feral Hydra
• 1 Guardian Augmenter
• 1 Halana and Alena, Partners
• 1 Hammer Mage
• 1 Hydra Broodmaster
• 1 Incubation Druid
• 1 Jade Mage
• 1 Magus of the Candelabra
• 1 Nylea, Keen-Eyed
• 1 Polis Crusher
• 1 Polukranos, World Eater
• 1 Radha, Heart of Keld
• 1 Savageborn Hydra
• 1 Seismic Mage
• 1 Shaman of Forgotten Ways
• 1 Simian Simulacrum
• 1 Soulbright Flamekin
• 1 Soul of New Phyrexia
• 1 Svella, Ice Shaper
• 1 Viashino Heretic
• 1 Vorinclex // The Grand Evolution
• 1 Walking Ballista
• 1 Werewolf Pack Leader

• Instants (7)
• 1 Chaos Warp
• 1 Deflecting Swat
• 1 Heroic Intervention
• 1 Invigorate
• 1 Ruinous Intrusion
• 1 Valakut Awakening // Valakut Stoneforge
• 1 Vines of Vastwood

• Sorceries (12)
• 1 Bala Ged Recovery // Bala Ged Sanctuary
• 1 Blasphemous Act
• 1 Cultivate
• 1 Decimate
• 1 Farseek
• 1 Hull Breach
• 1 Jeska's Will
• 1 Kodama's Reach
• 1 Nature's Lore
• 1 Shatterskull Smashing // Shatterskull, the Hammer Pass
• 1 Three Visits
• 1 Turntimber Symbiosis // Turntimber, Serpentine Wood

• Enchantments (4)
• 1 Bear Umbra
• 1 Court of Garenbrig
• 1 Sylvan Library
• 1 Tribute to the World Tree

• Artifacts (12)
• 1 Agatha's Soul Cauldron
• 1 Arcane Signet
• 1 Battlemage's Bracers
• 1 Commander's Plate
• 1 Gruul Signet
• 1 Hand of Vecna
• 1 Illusionist's Bracers
• 1 Lightning Greaves
• 1 Ozolith, the Shattered Spire
• 1 Sol Ring
• 1 The Great Henge
• 1 The Irencrag

• Lands (32)
• 5 Mountain
• 7 Forest
• 1 Ancient Tomb
• 1 Boseiju, Who Endures
• 1 Command Tower
• 1 Fire-Lit Thicket
• 1 Forge of Heroes
• 1 Karplusan Forest
• 1 Kessig Wolf Run
• 1 Llanowar Reborn
• 1 Mosswort Bridge
• 1 Okina, Temple to the Grandfathers
• 1 Opal Palace
• 1 Oran-Rief, the Vastwood
• 1 Rootbound Crag
• 1 Sheltered Thicket
• 1 Spinerock Knoll
• 1 Spire Garden
• 1 Stomping Ground
• 1 Teetering Peaks
• 1 Tyrite Sanctum
• 1 Wooded Foothills

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1. Activated Abilities Matter. At two mana, Agatha's looking to arrive early and begin cutting down ability costs as more creatures arrive. Let's start with the fun ones. The cards that'll win us the game if we can get their costs lowered enough. Bhaal's Invoker is a perfect example. Eight mana is a steep ask, but if we're able to enhance Agatha enough, we'll be able to rack up multiple activations each turn, quickly roasting opponents to cinders. If you'd prefer the beatdown approach, you've the option to go either tall or wide. Polis Crusher, Polukranos, World Eater, Radha, Heart of Keld, Feral Hydra, Savageborn Hydra, Death Kiss, Clay Golem, and Capricopian all provide great vehicles to pour excess mana into, and when that price tag already comes at a discount, the resulting brute strength adds up quickly. If you'd prefer the swarm approach to take advantage of Agatha's second ability, cards like Jade Mage, Dragonkin Berserker, Hydra Broodmaster, and card]Baru, Wurmspeaker[/card] churn out troops at an accelerated pace. Or you could simply borrow opposing troops via Captivating Crew.

For card advantage, this discount also helps dig through our deck via Nylea, Keen-Eyed and Werewolf Pack Leader. Etali, Primal Conqueror // Etali, Primal Sickness already provides a wealth of card advantage upon arrival, but with a cheaper activation cost, he's more easily able to fell an opponent via toxic bite. Similarly, Vorinclex // The Grand Evolution provides cards upon entering play, then flips with an additional mana investment. Once his Saga-side becomes more affordable, a wealth of additional creatures, counters, and removal pours forth.

While we're on the subject of removal, let's not forget to remove opposing threats as we build up our own. Soul of New Phyrexia pairs well with Blasphemous Act for one-sided mass removal. The aforementioned Polis Crusher, Clay Golem, Polukranos, World Eater fire off bonus removal upon growing Monstrous, but they're only single-shot. More tantalizing is the tommy-gun approach: repeated fire. Walking Ballista, Viashino Heretic, Seismic Mage, and Hammer Mage mow down a variety of permanent types, with the spellshapers providing an outlet to recycle away excess lands in exchange for their effects. And you might find yourself happily pitching these extra lands, as your mana will be shored up by...

Magus of the Candelabra, Soulbright Flamekin, Incubation Druid, and Svella, Ice Shaper quickly jump your ramp once Agatha reduces their ability costs. In conjunction with some of the classic Green ramp-suite (Farseek, Cultivate, Three Visits, you know the favorites), you should seldom need excess lands, making the above Spellshapers all the more useful.

But these grand plans are for naught without Agatha getting a gym membership. Which brings us to our next point.

2. Power Boosts Matter. Agatha of the Vile Cauldron's discount is linked to her power, making stats-boosting effects vital to supercharge synergies. Luckily, Gruul is the expert at pumping creatures up, giving us many options to pack muscle onto our commander. Once Agatha is of amped enough stature, we can shift subsequent stats-boosts onto the rest of our army for more combat-potency. Let's start with protective growth, as a mountain of effort is worth little if an opponent responses with a removal spell. Guardian Augmenter, Vines of Vastwood, Bear Umbra, and Commander's Plate buff our Commander while providing the defense seen on staples like Deflecting Swat, Heroic Intervention, and Swiftfoot Boots. Aside from protection, we also tie our pump-effects to additional sources of removal (Ruinous Intrusion), card advantage (Court of Garenbrig, The Great Henge, Tribute to the World Tree), ramp (The Irencrag), graveyard hate (Agatha's Soul Cauldron), and even lands (Teetering Peaks, Forge of Heroes, Tyrite Sanctum, Oran-Rief, the Vastwood, Llanowar Reborn, and Okina, Temple to the Grandfathers). Stapling stats-boosts onto lands and mana rocks is especially valuable, providing synergy without taking up a spell slot. Other cards like Invigorate and Hand of Vecna offer mana-free casting or equips, freeing up our lands for additional spells or ability activations.

Among our troops, repeated sources of +1/+1 counters are found on Benevolent Hydra, Halana and Alena, Partners (both of whom become even better at giving out counters the bigger they get), and Simian Simulacrum. Although the mechanical ape's Unearth ability won't receive a discount from Agatha, his 3-mana casting cost chained into 4-mana Unearth cost curves up directly from Agatha's 2-mana cost, making for a powerful line of play in the early-to-mid game. If you'd prefer something more repeatable, turn instead to Forgotten Ancient as a replacement. I'd encourage exploring other creature-based forms of power/toughness boost, as when it comes to Agatha of the Vile Cauldron...

3. High Creature-Count Matters. Hitting that perfect balance between enabler (power-boosts) and payoff (ability discounts) doesn't matter much if nothing's around to benefit. Agatha could be monstrously gigantic, but without ample creatures to take advantage, she'll just punch hard. To ensure we get the optimal value from our Commander, we want a high creature count. Not only for the discount-sake, but also in how Agatha's second ability can become game-winning with enough creatures on board and power in her hands. Gigantic creatures like Savageborn Hydra or repeated damage via Walking Ballista can cause a lot of hurt, but assembling a large army via high creature count or through troops who make other creatures (Jade Mage, etc.) lets us push through those last few trampling points of damage once we activate Agatha's secondary ability.

That's especially true if Shaman of Forgotten Ways comes to the table, as he'll not only help ramp future creatures into play, but has an activation that can outright kill opponents. Growing Agatha helps both meet the Shaman's steep activation cost and 8-power requirements. Biorhythm might be banned, but Shaman of Forgotten Ways keeps one in his back pocket.

Court of Garenbrig by Sam Guay

It's funny, at first glance, Eldraine appears a light-hearted plane. In our journeys across the multiverse, we've visited an entire world based on gothic horror, multiple lands ravaged by warfare, and a spreading oil that corrupts all it touches. Makes a plane full of sentient gingerbread seem downright innocent in comparison. But then we meet Agatha of the Vile Cauldron, and suddenly the dark roots from which so modern fairy tales are grown twist back into memory. An innocent surface belies a twisted origin. Your opponents may see Agatha as little more than a wicked witch from a children's story. But just like in those tales of old, they're in for some ghastly surprises from seemingly-innocent places.

Thanks for reading, and may you always steer clear of gingerbread houses. They're never good news.

-Matt-

@Intrepid_Tautog