Krothuss Deep Blue (Budget)

Commander / EDH* Budget Casual Combo Control Flying Kraken Reanimator UB (Dimir) Unblockable

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Creature (27)

• 1x Siren Stormtamer
• 1x Apprentice Necromancer
• 1x Augury Owl
• 1x Baleful Strix
• 1x Likeness Looter
• 1x Vohar, Vodalian Desecrator
• 1x Aether Channeler
• 1x Obsessive Stitcher
• 1x Sea-Dasher Octopus
• 1x Tomebound Lich
• 1x Unctus, Grand Metatect
• 1x Archaeomancer
• 1x Spark Double
• 1x Vile Entomber
• 1x Wonder
• 1x Archetype of Imagination
• 1x Deepfathom Skulker
• 1x Spawning Kraken
• 1x Tidal Terror
• 1x Diluvian Primordial
• 1x Hullbreaker Horror
• 1x Junk Winder
• 1x Lord of Change
• 1x Sepulchral Primordial
• 1x Striped Riverwinder
• 1x Waker of Waves
• 1x Stormtide Leviathan

Land (36)

• 1x Choked Estuary
• 1x Command Tower
• 1x Contaminated Aquifer
• 1x Creeping Tar Pit
• 1x Dimir Aqueduct
• 1x Drowned Catacomb
• 1x Esper Panorama
• 1x Geier Reach Sanitarium
• 1x Grixis Panorama
• 1x Halimar Depths
• 1x Ice Tunnel
• 9x Island
• 1x Mortuary Mire
• 1x Mystic Sanctuary
• 1x Promising Vein
• 1x Rogue's Passage
• 1x Shipwreck Marsh
• 1x Shire Terrace
• 1x Sunken Hollow
• 6x Swamp
• 1x Temple of Deceit
• 1x Tyrite Sanctum
• 1x Underground River

Artifact (13)

• 1x Astral Cornucopia
• 1x Everflowing Chalice
• 1x Lavaspur Boots
• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Arcane Signet
• 1x Collector's Vault
• 1x Dimir Signet
• 1x Key to the City
• 1x Mask of Memory
• 1x Swiftfoot Boots
• 1x Talisman of Dominance
• 1x Mimic Vat
• 1x Mirror Box

Commander (1)

 ^Flip

Instant (14)

• 1x Brainstorm
• 1x Dark Ritual
• 1x High Tide
• 1x Otherworldly Gaze
• 1x Bitter Triumph
• 1x Counterspell
• 1x Lazotep Plating
• 1x Muddle the Mixture
• 1x Negate
• 1x Reality Shift
• 1x Resculpt
• 1x Capsize
• 1x Frantic Search
• 1x Thirst for Discovery

Sorcery (9)

• 1x Ponder
• 1x Preordain
• 1x Feed the Swarm
• 1x Persist
• 1x Buried Alive
• 1x Victimize
• 1x Irenicus's Vile Duplication
• 1x Whelming Wave
• 1x Whispering Madness

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Maybeboard

Creature (6)

• 1x Malcolm, Alluring Scoundrel
• 1x Mercurial Spelldancer
• 1x Solemn Simulacrum
• 1x River Serpent
• 1x Wrexial, the Risen Deep
• 1x Shadowgrange Archfiend

Instant (3)

• 1x Slip Out the Back
• 1x Tainted Indulgence
• 1x Hostile Negotiations

Enchantment (1)

• 1x Reconnaissance Mission

Sorcery (1)

• 1x Diabolic Vision

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*Desc Updated: Jan. 30, 2022*

Budget casual Dimir tokens midrange/reanimation/combo/control featuring Krothuss, Lord of the Deep   with sea monster goodness and a spark. Krothuss beatdown from Spark Double copying Krothuss to make a nonlegendary Krothuss who Krothuss can copy to create tons of Krothusses and each Krothuss when it attacks can copy nonlegendary Krothuss or other attacking creatures I control. More beatdown from Spawning Kraken with evasion from Wonder/Archetype of Imagination or Stormtide Leviathan + Krothuss. Win condition Hullbreaker Horror combo to keep bouncing all my opponent's nonland permanents.

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Setting up Runo in early game is important to transform into Krothuss since Krothuss is the real Commander here. 15 cards that are 3 CMC or lower including lands, 22 total are here with lots of different effects to setup Runo.

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• Cycling a 7 CMC creature (Striped Riverwinder).
• Putting a 6 CMC or greater creature from my hand on top of my library (Brainstorm).
• Setup the top of my library (Diabolic Vision).
• Wheel (Jace's Archivist).
• Entomb effects (Buried Alive).
• Looting (Frantic Search).
• Scying (Augury Owl).
• Discarding (Key to the City).

The nice thing about most of these effects is they draw cards or discard cards, they have uses after Runo is transformed into Krothuss, especially for reanimation to get sea monsters online quicker. Being able to satisfy enough draw to function while also these same effects help to transform Runo is excellent. Striped Riverwinder, River Serpent and Waker of Waves are 6-7 CMC creatures who can discard themselves. Their discard abilities are low mana cost making them some of the fastest budget ways to setup Runo especially with one mana cycling.

Entomb effects help to setup Runo and also enable reanimation. Having creatures who can setup Runo or reanimation then be copied by Krothuss when they attack is value/taking advantage of Krothuss copy ability. Tomebound Lich and Vile Entomber can first help to setup Runo and then attack to be copied by Krothuss the turn Runo transforms to enable reanimation or get Wonder into my graveyard. Deathtouch really helps these creatures to keep attacking to be copied by Krothuss.

Everflowing Chalice + Hullbreaker Horror + Sol Ring or Basalt Monolith combo to make infinite colorless mana by Sol/Monolith + Chalice bouncing each other when cast. Infinite colorless mana comes from tapping Sol or Monolith for mana before they're bounced. If I control two or more Hullbreakers thanks to Krothuss copying, Evil Twin or Spark Double than the combo can repeatedly on my main phase bounce all my opponent's nonland permanents which can be a slow win condition by attacking since my opponents will not have blockers. When this happens Sol + any 0-2 CMC mana rock that ETB untapped to make mana such as Arcane Signet can combo by repeatedly bounce/cast.

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• I control Hullbreaker Horror, token copy of Hullbreaker, Sol Ring and have Everflowing Chalice in hand.
• Tap Sol for two mana and cast Chalice for zero mana.
• First Hullbreaker triggers to bounce Sol and second Hullbreaker triggers to bounce an opponent's nonland permanent.
• Each bounce/cast of Sol/Chalice makes +1 colorless mana. Cast Sol using one colorless mana floating triggering first Hullbreaker to bounce Chalice. The second Hullbreaker triggers to bounce an opponents nonland permanent and repeat.

Evil Twin can copy an opponent's creature giving me more creature options to copy with Krothuss, but the main reason I'm playing it is to copy Hullbreaker Horror if Krothuss is disrupted, Spark Double can also do this. Having ways to Hullbreaker combo without Krothuss is important because I will not always control Krothuss since whenever Krothuss is removed then it becomes Runo in the Command Zone, my graveyard or hand meaning I have to transform Runo again which is a big drawback. Technically with one of these four drops I don't have to ever control Krothuss instead just reanimate Hullbreaker and copy it.

Spark Double can copy Krothuss and become a nonlegendary Krothuss who original Krothuss can then copy. Spark lets me create tons of Krothusses who when they attack can keep copying nonlegendary Krothuss or other attacking creatures I control. This is a really fun unique interaction with Krothuss that can get out of hand quick for my opponents and it's a way to create tons of copies of many different creatures. Whelming Wave clears my opponent's blockers for my Krothuss army to wreck. Copies of Krothuss don't do Commander damage. Only original legendary Commander Krothuss or Runo does Commander damage.

Having a token copy or many copies of Krothuss is very helpful because when original legendary Krothuss is removed then it becomes Runo in the Command Zone, my graveyard or hand. When this happens I have to transform Runo again, but don't have to worry as much about doing this if I control a token copy of Krothuss.

Krothuss + Spawning Kraken create an army of Kraken tokens with 100+ power the first time they attack together and do combat damage to opponents. With Krothuss + Spawning attacking, Krothuss makes two token copies of Spawning attacking. Each copy of the three Spawnings triggers if a Kraken does combat damage to an opponent and if this happens I create 12 9/9 Kraken tokens and each one triggers Junk Winder.

Winder can help Kraken to do combat damage to opponents since when each token is created by Krothuss Winder taps down an opponent's nonland permanent, most likely a blocker. Also when each 9/9 Kraken token is created by Spawning Winder triggers to tap down potential opponent attacker for the swingback. Whelming Wave clears my opponent's blockers my for Kraken army to wreck and Wonder/Archetype of Imagination gives it flying.

Stormtide Leviathan with Krothuss creates an army of 8/8 unblockable Leviathans. Wonder/Archetype of Imagination pairs with Stormtide since it gives all creatures I control flying letting them attack. I'm playing some flying creatures, but consistently without Wonder/Imagination Stormtide + Krothuss are my only attackers because Stormtide prevents all nonflying creatures from attacking. Wonder is excellent evasion source when entomb effects and looting are key strategies to setup Runo. Stormtide helps to enable Wonder and without Stormtide it's also easy to enable Wonder since playing at least 13 Islands. Imagination with Stormtide prevents my opponents creatures from attacking unless they have islandwalk.

Sea-Dasher Octopus is another sea creature and it's unique since it has mutate. It can mutate for only two mana at instant speed to the top of any nonHuman creature I control to turn that creature into a 2/2 Octopus. When Krothuss creates two token copies of the mutated creature those tokens will be 2/2 Octopuses with Sea-Dasher draw ability and all other abilities including ETB effects that the bottom creature has. Mutate Baleful Strix or Mulldrifter for a draw engine with Krothuss. Hullbreaker Horror can bounce nontoken Sea-Dasher mutated creature to then cast Sea-Dasher again to mutate another creature.

One drawback of Krothuss's copy ability is the creature has to be attacking to be copied. This is fine if that creature is already been on the battlefield able to attack, but if not it needs haste. Swiftfoot Boots, Apprentice Necromancer and Mimic Vat give haste to the creature who's equipped, reanimated or token copy that's created.

Boots also can for one mana move from creature to creature as well as protect the equipped creature from being removed by opponent before it's copied by Krothuss or just protect Krothuss. Hexproof can protect a creature from being targeted by opponents, but I can still target the creature with Krothuss to be copied. The hexproof is a big reason other than price that Boots is better with Krothuss than Lightning Greaves since a shrouded creature can't be target by Krothuss to be copied. Vat can imprint an opponent's creature who dies which is excellent in multiplayer Commander and gives Krothuss access to much more variety of creatures to copy.

Mimic Vat + Apprentice Necromancer have interaction because Necromancer has to sac himself to reanimate then be imprinted by Vat. The creature I reanimate is saced at the next end step which is another way to imprint with Vat. For four mana with Necromancer imprinted to Vat I can reanimate, attack with that creature to be copied by Krothuss and repeat on my next turn. I create a token of Necromancer with Vat which has haste to tap, sac the token to reanimate a creature and that creature has haste to be copied by Krothuss when it attacks. Doomed Necromancer can also sac itself be imprinted by Vat for repeatable reanimation for four mana, but it's reanimation should be at instant speed, at my last opponent's end step, so the creature can attack on my next turn and be copied by Krothuss.

Krothuss can copy any attacking creature I control which includes lands or artifacts that can become a creature. Creeping Tar Pit and Dimir Keyrune can become an unblockable creature that Krothuss can copy. In Magic there's many different creature lands and artifacts that turn into a creature, but these are the only two that turn into an unblockable creature which is important. I don't want to have worry about my attacking land or mana rock being blocked and killed in combat and they can safely attack to be copied by Krothuss.

When Pit or Keyrune is a creature copied by Krothuss the copy is not a creature, it's a land or artifact that ETB as a tapped land or tapped artifact that isn't a creature attacking. Each copy can then be separately paid mana to activate into a creature again. This may seem like a drawback, but it's not because this lets Krothuss copy to create ramp: a Dimir dual land or Dimir mana rock. I may activate the copies into a creature later, but I don't have to.

Whelming Wave is an excellent single effect with Krothuss and other sea monsters, but what's better is repeatable Wave with Archaeomancer. Archaeomancer can recur Wave to cast again and Wave bounces Archaeomancer to cast again. Mystic Sanctuary is another way to recur Wave for a second cast. Archaeomancer can be copied with Krothuss for more value and if it has flying from Wonder/Archetype of Imagination or unblockable from Key to the City/Rogue's Passage then it could possibly be repeatedly copied.

Sepulchral Primordial and Diluvian Primordial are 7 CMC creatures to help Runo to transform, have ETB effects to abuse with Krothuss and these effects are excellent in multiplayer Commander. The Primordials benefit greatly from the repeatable wheel effects of Jace's Archivist or Whispering Madness by getting cards into my opponent's graveyards. I reanimate and gain control my opponent's creatures with Sepulchral giving me more creature fuel to make token copies of with Krothuss.

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Top Ranked	Achieved #8 position overall 3 years ago Achieved #5 position in Commander / EDH 3 years ago Achieved #1 position in Commander / EDH Budget 3 years ago Achieved #1 position in Commander / EDH Combo 3 years ago
Date added	3 years
Last updated	3 months
Exclude colors	R
Key combos	Everflowing Chalice + Hullbreaker Horror + Sol Ring
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	31 - 0 Rares 27 - 0 Uncommons 25 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	3.11
Tokens	Bird 1/1 W, Copy Clone, Elemental 4/4 UR, Kraken 9/9 U, Manifest 2/2 C, Treasure, Zombie Army 0/0 B
Folders	Commander/EDH, Build me!, commander, decks I like hehe, CMDR, Interesting Ideas, Decks, Budget, Other People's Decks I Like, Dimir UB