1v1 Me Brah (Commander / EDH MTG Deck)

1v1 Me Brah

Commander / EDH Control Dragons

mrgrrrumpypants

Creature (10)

Planeswalker (2)

Land (38)

Enchantment (3)

Artifact (13)

Instant (25)

Sorcery (8)

Commander (1)

This deck is undergoing changes due to the Duel Commander rules change announced 9/26/16 which is being enforced on 11/11/16. I am going to change this deck to a multiplayer control deck, leaving Ojutai as the commander.

This deck is both French and Multiplayer Commander legal. I've played it extensively and have found a lot of success with it. It incorporates everything I love about both Control and Commander.

As a control player in multiplayer there are some major hurdles you need to overcome to get to the end game. First you must be prepared to evaluate every card played by every player. You should never let something happen that you don't like. Second, you must be prepared to be the most hated person at the table. You're going to do things a lot of Commander players don't like. You know why? AIf you're playing control, your game is not letting other people play their game. Commander players are in general, the type of crowd that doesn't care what your game is as long as it doesn't interfere with their game. This is why the format leans to Battlecruiser type decks, it's easy to set up a strong late game when no one is interfering, because they're trying to get to their own late game. Anytime someone complains, remind them that while you might be the person that countered their Craterhoof Behemoth you're also the person that Exiled the turn 6 Blightsteel Colossus that had everyone sweating bullets the turn before. This leads me to the next point, you will have to play a little politics. Whereas most Battlecruiser players don't need to answer to anyone as long as they're ahead, you NEVER have this luxury unless you've made it to the end of the game in a 1v1. Depending on your playgroup's way of handling politics you should be at least reminding people that you're keeping them alive. I've won games by protecting a player so that they can do my dirty work for me and kill another player. You're not really a threat, you just stop threats. Use this to your advantage and bargain. And last, you have to make a deck that has lots of flexible answers and just enough threats. Too many threats and you don't have enough answers. Too few threats and you can never win a game. I'm going to go in depth on most of my choices.

Every control deck in multiplayer needs mass removal. I picked some of the best. Akroma's Vengeance destroys every non-land/planeswalker permanent on the field. Cylconic Rift returns everyone else's field to their hand. These are both incredibly potent in this deck as they can hit the majority of difficult to deal with permanents and are the most flexible removal spells here. Akroma's Vengeance also has the added bonus of cycling when you're so far ahead all you need to do is get further, or just need that 4th land to get going in the early game. I'm also a huge fan of Martial Coup, it gums up the ground for many turns buying you more than just the one turn most board wipes buy you. In addition it serves as an alternative wincon with enough mana or when your opponent is low enough. The rest of the Wrath non-creature spells are just standard fare, they cost 4 and destroy all creatures. (Day of Judgment, Supreme Verdict, Wrath of God)

Next is your spot removal. I'm not going to include counterspells because there is a different mentality to counterspells in multiplayer than regular old spot removal. I'll get into that. One key component of the low number of spot removal spells this deck has (4 counting Cryptic Command) is that your mass removal should also be used as spot removal. If your opponent is playing PS Zegana and has tapped out to drop Deadeye Navigator and that's the only thing on the board you should immediately wrath if that's all you have. That Deadeye is vulnerable and you may never have another chance to destroy it. Just because you're spending a board wipe on one creature doesn't mean you wasted it. You got your value, you got one of the biggest threats your opponent's deck can muster. So that being said I'm playing the following spot removal non-creature spells:

They all have one of two things: low cost or high flexibility. Path and Swords are 1 mana, and that is incredibly important. It's not hard to always leave W open to threaten the Exile. It makes your opponents think twice. On Flexibility, Detention Sphere is the only sorcery speed spot removal. But it hits tokens hard, and any non-land permanent as well. And Cryptic Command is the poster child of flexibility.

Counterspells, where would blue be without these little buggers? I'm running 12, and they all have something special to offer. I use Cancel as a baseline. If a counterspell is strictly better than Cancel I use it. If it's Cancel or worse I don't.

Counterspell: 2 mana for Counter Target Spell is strong

Cryptic Command: The most flexible spell in our colors, ever. Also counters.

Dismiss: Replace my counterspell? Pretty please! Also does a pretty damn good Cryptic Command impression.

Dissipate: For those threats that you just do not want to see coming back. Bonus points if you exile a combo piece.

Flusterstorm: It costs 1 mana, easily tied with OJ's Command for weakest counter in the deck. It's not quite flexible, but the ability to stop spot removal coming OJ's way for U is strong enough to warrant a spot. (Later I'll go over the picks that are based on my Meta and in that list you will see Flusterstorm)

Foil: The option to be free is very strong, especially against control decks.

Force of Will : Ay baby, you got a kid? Cause OOO MAMA.

Last Word : It's uncounterable, and there are more than a few matchups that this is useful. For one, other BDC decks.

Ojutai's Command : Easily the weakest counter in the deck. It's very flexible however, I've even used the theoretical "weak mode" of gain 4 life and draw a card to draw out a game just long enough to win. I don't see it as a counter in hand, but when it is I take a trip to value town.

Render Silent: Early it's just Cancel with a more restrictive mana cost. Late and properly used, it's a 3 mana instant speed Time Warp

Rewind: I love this card, it has so much synergy with my instant speed draw. You can counter and then have mana for another counter or just draw 2 off Weave Fate.

Which brings me to the next part of the deck. Draw power. I love having a full grip. As a control player nothing feels better than having a full grip ready to stop any force that tries to get in your way. One thing to note is that I only have one sorcery speed non-creature draw spell. There's a reason for this: playing on your opponent's turn is how you win.

Treasure Cruise: There's a reason this card is getting banned from almost every format it's in. I love drawing this card in the late game, refilling my hand for 1 mana and some cards I was never getting back is wonderful. It's not banworthy in commander, but it's still very value-laden and is the other slow draw spell in the deck.

Blue Sun's Zenith: Instant Speed, reusable, can draw an entirely fresh new grip in the late game? Easily the MVP of any blue control deck, a must have.

Dragonlord's Prerogative : Opportunity with upside. Can't target another player but who cares? You're never going to opportunity someone else unless they literally have 3 or fewer cards in their deck, at which point you should be winning anyway.

Inspiration : This and its functional reprint are the baseline for my draw spell picks. You must be at least this tall to make in the deck.

Jace's Ingenuity: Inspiration+1, I really like this card, it's the most efficient instant speed draw spell IMO because 5 mana is completely achievable, draw 3 is very attractive, and doing it at your opponent's EOT after leaving up mana for a counter spell and having them pass because of that threat is just everything I could ever want from a turn.

Comparative Analysis : Strictly better than Inspiration .

Mystic Confluence : Strictly better than Jace's Ingenuity.

Opportunity : Jace's Ingenuity but you need to hit 6 mana. At 6 mana people are playing the Titans and have reached battlecruiser time so Opportunity is a bit weaker than Ingenuity. It does draw 4 to make up for that drawback though, so late game can save you from losing.

Sphinx's Revelation : Incidental lifegain on a spell I already want? Plsss, this card is amazing. 10/10 would recommend to any Azorius mage.

Weave Fate : I like drawing at the end of my opponent's turns. Because playing on your opponent's turns is control, okay?

This leaves me with just a few card types left. I'll go over one of the major ones now, miscellaneous disruption.

Ensnare: It's free and it has some synergy with the other cards in this deck along with the commander. It can buy you an extra turn or win you the game, you just have to play it right.

Return to Dust: This is a 2 for 1 or in a pinch a 1 for 1 spot removal spell.

Narset Transcendent : I considered including her in the draw but she doesn't really draw. She gives you some value like Tamiyo, and if you ult her you win. I've played her 3 times since adding her to the deck. I've won all 3 games.

Tamiyo, the Moon Sage: She draws, she protects you, and she has synergy with the rest of your deck. If you ult her, you win.

Jester's Cap : This is a meta card, everyone in my playgroup plays combo or battlecruiser, this one is for the combo players out there!

Meekstone: This one gets a lot of groans in my group. It grinds the game to a halt and has strong synergy with the commander.

Relic of Progenitus: Because Reanimator exists and I rarely want anything out of my Graveyard (The only cards that I rely on to interact with the graveyard are either win-more lands or are Snapcaster and his best friend OJ's Command)

Torpor Orb: Every new playgroup I play in scoffs at this card. Until they follow it up on their next turn with land fetching dork. And then they play Acidic Slime to blow it up. And then their Primordials are just 7 drop fatties. Prime Speaker Zegana is a 6 drop commander that's just a 1/1 you're playing for the colors. I can go on. I have a few creatures with ETB effects (5 to be exact). Having Torpor orb out has negatively affected me once. Still, use with cation.

Rest in Peace: I like this card a bit more than Relic because it's a long term "No" to graveyard decks.

I have some ramp. It all does other stuff too. Drawing cards, gaining life, destroying things or being creatures. I have 2 tutors, Merchant Scroll to get my counters or draw spells and Long-Term Plans to get anything. If you have the 1 dollar needed to pick this card up, I highly suggest you do so because in non-black blue decks this card is fantastic.

All that's left is to go over the Threats and the lands then! Last I'll go over some of the meta choices so that you can decide for yourself if you really need them.

Threats

Luminarch Ascension: Ah, yiss. Ye Olde Luminarch Ascension. If this goes live and you have 4 or more mana, you're in a game winning position. It's not hard to get it off in multiplayer, just hard to keep it alive.

Consecrated Sphinx: A fatty with flying, and it draws you tons of cards. This is my number 1 target for Long-Term Plans. It's hard to keep alive, but that's why you're playing Lightning Greaves and counterspells. This is your game winning threat.

Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite: I'll admit, she's not as great in this deck as others. You don't have any armies of tokens (unless you play her after a major Martial Coup) and you don't even have that many real threats. You're usually attacking with 1 or 2 creatures at a time. But having a 4 power and toughness swing on the board is incredible, sometimes she even functions as a board wipe and her vigilance has some synergy with the rest of the deck. She's a threat in her own right, your opponent needs a 9/9 to kill her in combat!

Keiga, the Tide Star : The biggest threat on the table until he isn't, then he gets you the biggest threat on the table. Also a dragon, strong dragons work well with Ojutai, getting us extra value out of his passive ability.

Monastery Mentor: It hits prowess on more than half the deck, this will allow it to go wide which it can't do any other way.

Snapcaster Mage: I am including every creature in this section, including the little ones. As a control deck, every damage counts. If Snappy does 2 damage AND blocks for you, he's done more work than you could usually hope for. That 2 damage will go far for you, trust me.

Solemn Simulacrum: Same as Snap, 2 damage is not something to scoff at in control. Fixes your mana and draws you a card too.

Spellskite: Technically not a threat, but this and Lightning Greaves do a good job of keeping your threats alive.

Sun Titan: Like most decks, Sun Titan is just a value generating threat. Losing him is not gamebreaking though. Very aggressive creature in this deck.

Sunblast Angel: I keep saying the "has synergy" thing for a lot of cards. Anything that taps or interacts with tapped permanents or prevents itself from being tapped ala vigilance was considered for this deck. Sunblast fits the bill, as it can sometimes be a laser precise, one sided board wipe with some of the stuff in the deck.

Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir: an anti control, control card. Keeps people from doing things on my turn and allows me to play even more on my opponent's turns.

Venser, Shaper Savant : A counter, a bounce, a creature that swings for 2, Venser has got it all.

Yosei, the Morning Star : Holy smokes, this card is amazing here. First, he's a dragon so he works with your commander. Next he taps some stuff when he dies. Then they skip their next untap. If you draw him and you're already at the 1v1 point, you've just got a huge swing of tempo in your favor.

Most of my lands are either basic or just double lands for fixing. A few, however, have some utility added so I'll go over what they do for the deck.

Academy Ruins: This allows me to reuse some of my better artifacts, especially the ones that are must answer like Torpor Orb.

Arcane Lighthouse: When needed, it's an answer to creatures you wouldn't otherwise be able to target.

Buried Ruin : Another Academy Ruins, just not repeatable.

Celestial Colonnade: An excellent wincon, I was torn between including this in my threats list but I decided to put it here. I love this card, and you should definitely be playing it in your control shells (or its counterparts)

Ghost Quarter: Because Strip Mine is banned in Duel Commander (French)

Homeward Path: There's more than a few decks in my meta that play stuff like Gilded Drake and Dragonlord Silumgar

Mystifying Maze: Extra protection. Also in a pinch can reuse one of my ETB effects.

Reliquary Tower: I have big hands.

Tectonic Edge : No strip mine :(

Meta ChoicesMy meta has a pretty healthy variety of decks, but only a couple deck archetypes. One of my 2 best friends leans towards Midrange-Battlecruiser decks like Ruric-Thar and Prime Speaker Zeganna and my other best friend leans towards combo ala Ghave, Guru of Spores, Child of Alara and Maralen. The rest of the people I regularly play with are a mish mash and are your standard commander players in my eyes, pick a commander they like and build it with some staples and some niche picks. Nothing too special. So with that in mind, here is a list of cards I'd cut if I weren't in the playgroup I have. I'd add less narrow cards to replace them.

I would adjust to your playgroup based on your needs. Weenie aggro got you down? Windborn Muse and similar effects are great at stopping that. Gilded Drake is a strong counter to most Voltron decks.Etc.

Okay, there are a few cards I haven't gone over in the deck but I'm just going to touch 2. Armageddon and the commander. Everyone hates mass land wipe. I am one of those people that hates it. However my group has a lot of ramp decks. And a lot of decks that rely on winning with lands. In my extended playgroup, there's a lot of people that play proxied dual lands and other hyper-powerful mana bases featuring the likes of Mishra's Workshop and Gaea's Cradle. This is my answer. If I don't get CSphinx with a tutor, I get Armageddon. It's a win con. A nasty one, but it's still a wincon. In a 1v1 I get the slightest clear advantage, and then I play it. It's not mean, it's not evil. It's a tool. I never play it from behind just to stall. That's just bad manners. Now, if you don't like this kind of effect I admire your resilience. However you will continue to lose to stronger decks that rely on the "social contract" of EDH that says Land D is mean and takes advantage of it. I am the only control player I've ever talked to with a better than 50% win rate in commander with a highly competitive playgroup. We have turn 3 kill everyone else decks in this group. We have infinite turn combos. We have a few dozen infinite mana combos. But we only have one Armageddon. Maybe that's why I win so much. I've only gotten a few complaints, but not as much as the guy that plays Deadeye Navigator in all his decks. At least for us, it's not that bad.

Last but not least, is the big boy himself Ojutai, Soul of Winter First let me start by telling the story of this deck. When Ojutai was first revealed I fell in love with his art. And then I fell out of love with his game text. I'm a huge commander freak, and my favorite part of the game is the art. But I also like to win. And compared to my usual commanders, such as Akroma, Angel of Fury and Sigarda, Host of Herons he seemed slow, and low impact. The main thing I liked about him competitively is the fact that many control decks in French/Duel Commander rely on one big commander and a large control suite to win games. He not only fit that bill perfectly, being a big Azorius commander, he also counters those decks by locking down that one threat permanently! I've always enjoyed the challenge of building undervalued commanders/decks and playing them against meta decks. (I particularly enjoyed building a moderately competitive Selvala, Explorer Returned deck almost a year ago) So I set out to build a decent Ojutai deck. Then, on FRF release day I walked into my LGS and there was only one other person there. We sat down together to crack packs and he opened a foil OJ and seemed disappointed. But I was so excited to see that gorgeous art, in foil nonetheless! He offered to trade for a Shu Yun for his tiny leaders deck. With the shiny new leader to my next Commander deck I knew I needed to put extra special effort into making a good deck. Selvala had not had as much success as my previous deck ideas, so I spent 2 months working on this deck, playtesting extensively along the way. I came up with this list, and only made minor adjustments since (I had tuck effects before the ruleschange, and added Narset as well as making small tweaks to some of the threats). I've lost a handful of games with this deck since coming up with this list, but for the most part this deck grinds out very slow wins time and time again. I love this deck more than any deck I've had before. Because it's beautiful, and it perfectly reflects my playstyle and what I think is fun.

All that said, what does OJ do for the list? He's your main wincon. You always know you can rely on him to come out at some point in the game and turn things around. He's fat, with 6 toughness he brawls with the best of them and usually comes out alive. You can swing him and sleep their most threatening blocker. With Vigilance he stays ready to block anything that comes your way on their turn. He's quite literally, the perfect Azorius control commander. Don't believe me? Here's a list of Azorius Commanders. http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?color=+@([W]+[U])&type=+[Legendary]

For this type of control, that is relying on one big threat to finish the game for you without any set up, I think the following compete for OJ's spot:

Dragonlord Ojutai one of the best alternatives, the Hexproof is nice but doesn't do enough against other big fliers that populate Duel Commander such as Nicol Bolas

Grand Arbiter Augustin IV Definitely strong, but he leans more towards taxing than winning. He's not a real threat.

Isperia the Inscrutable A similar concept, not as well executed. 3 power is meaningless.

Isperia, Supreme Judge Better than her older self, she can draw you cards and win games pretty quickly (faster than OJ!) I have considered her. Another strong alternative.

Lavinia of the Tenth I like her a lot, especially with protection from red which is a strong removal color in Duel Commander. She can be pretty good, but not being able to fly makes her iffy to me.

Medomai the Ageless I love this guy, I like him better with more set up (give him double strike! OP!!!) I think he'd be good here too, you can swap out some of the dragons for the double strike enablers. The last of the strong alternatives.

There are 3 strong alternatives to OJ. Do you know how many OJ counters? 2! The only one that beats him is his older self, and then you can just block him all day long! Of course there are other ways to play Azorius control, you can just turtle all day and eventually eke out a win. But that's not for me. My playstyle has always leaned towards dragons. Thanks for reading! Sorry for the novel, but I wanted to really go in depth on my choices, and also highlight the things I think are important for playing control in Commander.

Some final notes, I'm a college student that has a job. So I have some expendable income but not a lot. That said, I can't afford everything I'd like to have for this deck. I'd love a Maze of Ith, Tundra , hell I realized I don't have a Hallowed Fountain in this deck when I wrote up this list. But there's a Force of Will. I know there are tiny things I could do to streamline the deck. I'm working on it. :)

Changelog10/1/2015: Testing Monastery Mentor in Pristine Skywise 's spot. Monastery Mentor reasoning; allows me to go wide which the deck didn't do before.

2/25/2016: Monastery Mentor replaces Pristine Skywise . Removed Jace Beleren and Gift of Estates . Added Comparative Analysis and Mystic Confluence

10/6/2016: Cuts- Darksteel Ingot Unstable Obelisk Solemn Simulacrum Relic of Progenitus Flusterstorm Venser, Shaper Savant Plains Islandx2 Temple of Enlightenment Azorius Guildgate Sejiri RefugeAdd- Sol Ring Thran Dynamo Talisman of Progress Mind Stone Tormod's Crypt Sensei's Divining Top Changes made due to opting out of Duel Commander.

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Date added	9 years
Last updated	8 years
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	11 - 0 Mythic Rares 36 - 0 Rares 29 - 0 Uncommons 9 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	3.63
Tokens	Angel 4/4 W, Emblem Narset Transcendent, Emblem Tamiyo, the Moon Sage, Monk 1/1 W, Soldier 1/1 W
Folders	Commander, Current EDH Lists
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