Rhys the Swarmlord (Squirrels)

Commander / EDH GW (Selesnya) Lifegain Theme/Gimmick Tokens Tribal

raefgall

Creature (24)

• 1x Ant Queen
• 1x Armada Wurm
• 1x Avenger of Zendikar
• 1x Deranged Hermit
• 1x Emeria Angel
• 1x Hornet Nest
• 1x Hornet Queen
• 1x Juniper Order Ranger
• 1x Kazandu Tuskcaller
• 1x Kessig Cagebreakers
• 1x Liege of the Hollows
• 1x Living Hive
• 1x Nut Collector
• 1x Pathbreaker Ibex
• 1x Rampaging Baloths
• 1x Soul Warden
• 1x Soul's Attendant
• 1x Squirrel Wrangler
• 1x Suture Priest
• 1x Symbiotic Wurm
• 1x Trostani, Selesnya's Voice
• 1x Wolfbriar Elemental
• 1x Worldspine Wurm
• 1x Wren's Run Packmaster

Sorcery (8)

• 1x Acorn Harvest
• 1x Beacon of Creation
• 1x Chatter of the Squirrel
• 1x Ezuri's Predation
• 1x Hour of Reckoning
• 1x Howl of the Night Pack
• 1x Overrun
• 1x Verdant Confluence

Land (37)

• 1x Blighted Steppe
• 1x Blighted Woodland
• 1x Blossoming Sands
• 1x Canopy Vista
• 1x Command Tower
• 11x Forest
• 1x Gavony Township
• 1x Ghost Quarter
• 1x Grasslands
• 1x Graypelt Refuge
• 1x Grove of the Guardian
• 1x Khalni Garden
• 1x Krosan Verge
• 1x Mosswort Bridge
• 1x Pendelhaven
• 4x Plains
• 1x Springjack Pasture
• 1x Sunpetal Grove
• 1x Swarmyard
• 1x Temple Garden
• 1x Temple of Plenty
• 1x Temple of the False God
• 1x Windbrisk Heights
• 1x Windswept Heath

Instant (7)

• 1x Arachnogenesis
• 1x Beast Within
• 1x Blunt the Assault
• 1x Druid's Deliverance
• 1x Path to Exile
• 1x Relic Crush
• 1x White Sun's Zenith

Commander (1)

Enchantment (11)

• 1x Aura Shards
• 1x Doubling Season
• 1x Druid's Call
• 1x Glare of Subdual
• 1x Mirari's Wake
• 1x Parallel Lives
• 1x Primal Vigor
• 1x Raised by Wolves
• 1x Spawning Grounds
• 1x Squirrel Nest
• 1x Wolfcaller's Howl

Artifact (8)

• 1x Acorn Catapult
• 1x Druidic Satchel
• 1x Illusionist's Bracers
• 1x Selesnya Keyrune
• 1x Selesnya Signet
• 1x Spear of Heliod
• 1x Temple Bell
• 1x Trading Post

Planeswalker (4)

• 1x Ajani, Caller of the Pride
• 1x Garruk, Primal Hunter
• 1x Garruk Wildspeaker
• 1x Nissa, Voice of Zendikar

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Sideboard

Land (8)

• 1x Drifting Meadow
• 1x Razorverge Thicket
• 1x Rupture Spire
• 1x Secluded Steppe
• 1x Slippery Karst
• 1x Tranquil Thicket
• 1x Transguild Promenade
• 1x Wooded Bastion

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Maybeboard

Creature (3)

• 1x Archangel of Thune
• 1x Odric, Master Tactician
• 1x Sekki, Seasons' Guide

Planeswalker (1)

• 1x Huatli, Radiant Champion

Land (1)

• 1x Wirewood Lodge

Enchantment (3)

• 1x Anointed Procession
• 1x Earthcraft
• 1x Parallel Lives

Artifact (1)

• 1x Rings of Brighthearth

Instant (2)

• 1x Force of Vigor
• 1x Krosan Grip

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(Just to be clear, this deck isn't currently built or being updated. Feel free to make suggestions, but if there are newer cards missing, that's likely why.)

This is the newest variation of my very first EDH deck, Squirrel Storm (EDH). The intention has always been to flood the board with forest critters like squirrels and wolves; this time I tried to focus on cards effected by Swarmyard . I have intentionally avoided including cards that produce elves, soldiers, spirits, or saprolings. In this version, I decided to up the high end of the deck, including Grove of the Guardian and Worldspine Wurm to give you a bigger bodied comeback.

Removal is a bit limited, with your goal being more to overwhelm than deal with what your opponents play. Beast Within can remove anything. Aura Shards and Relic Crush remove artifacts/enchantments. Path to Exile is the only targeted creature removal, with Spear of Heliod and Ezuri's Predation helping situationally. Hour of Reckoning is your only board wipe, but it leaves you with a board state.

There are more effects that just help keep you safe. Glare of Subdual keeps your opponents creatures/artifacts tapped down. Fog effects like Arachnogenesis , Blunt the Assault , and Druid's Deliverance serve a dual purpose. Deathtouch threats like Wren's Run Packmaster and Hornet Queen keep your opponents at bay. All the while, Trostani, Selesnya's Voice , Suture Priest , Soul Warden , and Soul's Attendant keep you gaining life while you build your board state.

The game usually ends with Overrun or Garruk Wildspeaker giving your army of squirrels enough power to kill in one swing. Smaller buffs like Mirari's Wake , Spear of Heliod , Juniper Order Ranger , and Gavony Township are sometimes enough. Any creature with trample or evasion and Raised by Wolves can make a short game as well. It all comes down to how many tokens you can get on the board.

There are plenty of token producers. Doubling Season , Primal Vigor , and Parallel Lives all double general production. Any of those enchantments or Illusionist's Bracers make Rhys the Redeemed 's second ability extremely powerful. Having more than one option in play gets silly fast.

(I realized as I was typing this up that Beacon of Creation and Howl of the Night Pack are not very good with the land base I currently have listed. I may be taking out several nonbasic lands for forests. See Sideboard.)

Date added	9 years
Last updated	5 years
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	11 - 0 Mythic Rares 45 - 2 Rares 18 - 1 Uncommons 10 - 5 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	4.27
Tokens	Beast 3/3 G, Beast 4/4 G, Beast 5/5 G, Bird 1/1 W, Cat 2/2 W, Copy Clone, Elemental 8/8 GW, Elephant 3/3 G, Elf Warrior 1/1 GW, Goat 0/1 W, Human 2/2 G, Insect 1/1 G, Insect 1/1 G w/ Flying, Deathtouch, Phyrexian Beast 4/4 G, Plant 0/1 G, Saproling 1/1 G, Spider 1/2 G, Squirrel 1/1 G, Wolf 2/2 G, Wurm 5/5 G w/ Trample, Wurm 6/6 G
Folders	edh cool?, Potential decks, ideas, EDH, Hellyeah, EDH Constructed, Commander, Decks, Commander, budget ideas