A Monster’s Guide to Volo [Primer]
Commander / EDH
SCORE: 78 | 55 COMMENTS | 12338 VIEWS | IN 32 FOLDERS
Volo can be a fun commander. I would probably be running Body Double, despite Clever Impersonator. Also pretty surprised to not see Doubling Season or Parallel Lives.
September 3, 2021 2:53 a.m.
Thanks for the suggestion Lumovanis, I hadn’t considered Body Double and it’s a solid option. It can target our opponent’s graveyard and/or our own… which gives it a recursion-like quality in Volo. I am committed to not doubling up on creature types though, and I think the Clever Impersonator deserves the shapeshifter slot because of its lower cmc and its ability to clone non-creature permanents. Doubling Season and Parallel Lives don’t actually work with Volo due to the wording of the rules text “a copy of a creature spell becomes a token”… this technically doesn’t count as creating a creature token.
September 3, 2021 5:27 a.m.
Ah yeah, forgot about the difference in his trigger. I also am a huge fan of Wandering Archaic Flip, especially when it starts getting cloned. Also, why not Great Whale? Myr Battlesphere might also be a good choice.
September 3, 2021 7:04 a.m.
Wandering Archaic Flip is amazing and I went back and forth between it and Diluvian Primordial for the Avatar slot. I’ve yet to pull the primordial in a game so I’m waiting to make the swap until I see it in action. Archaic is far more mana efficient and will help protect the board, but the primordial’s trigger is immediate and potentially game changing. Super tough call, but something tells me the archaic might make the final cut. I didn’t even know Great Whale existed, what a cool card! Might have to save up for that one. Myr Battlesphere is going in the maybeboard as well. I’ve spent so much time tinkering with this build and I’ll need more play testing to figure out what to cut. Thanks for the awesome suggestions!
September 3, 2021 5:42 p.m.
Hey! This is a super cool deck. Have you ever thought of running Esix, Fractal Bloom in the deck just in case you’d like to upgrade your tokens when they hit the battlefield? Just a thought! Nice work though!
September 15, 2021 11:12 p.m.
Thanks mjcurry2! Esix, Fractal Bloom is an awesome card, and an amazing commander too. Unfortunately it doesn’t work with Volo for the same reason Doubling Season and Parallel Lives don’t work. Due to the wording of the rules text “a copy of a creature becomes a token”, this doesn’t count as creating a creature token, so it won’t trigger Esix. Thanks for the comment!
September 16, 2021 9:31 p.m.
Thanks for the suggestions rwn1971! Both cards are great at a 2 for 1 value, but I don't think they do much to support this particular build's strategy of going wide. Walking Ballista could be a solid removal piece, but seems too mana hungry outside of infinite combo situations. Wurmcoil Engine would be a decent defense option, but I think its better in decks that can abuse it through recursion. Having said all of that, I do believe both cards could be amazing in a different version of Volo, and I would love to hear if you have any luck with them.
October 5, 2021 3:10 a.m.
Peregrine Drake is a good card, no doubt. But I want to suggest Loyal Drake which I think would be even more valuable as long as you can keep Volo in play.
October 16, 2021 8:32 p.m.
ChuckHD - Thanks for the suggestion! I’ve been considering that exact swap for a while. Peregrine Drake has been fairly successful in this list, and it had the potential to go infinite with Temur Sabertooth and Panharmonicon. But since I just cut the panharmonicon, I think it might be time to change drakes.
October 16, 2021 11:06 p.m.
Oh there is one card i am dying to try and that is guardian project. Also got deck all done now to try this bad boy out. ty for the deck
October 18, 2021 5:39 p.m.
Unfortunately Guardian Project is a non-bo in Volo. The token copy would technically enter the battlefield first, so you wouldn't then get the draw effect when the creature enters. It's too bad, since Guardian Project is usually a banger in any creature-heavy deck.
October 19, 2021 6:32 a.m.
Okay finally got deck done and played 2 games with it at local gaming shop last night. First game i was got my butt kicked by 5 color dragons (btw it was a 4 person pod). 2nd game......nothing like 3 crater hoofs to give your team +21/21 and trample. I am loving this deck but am doing tweaks to it.
October 23, 2021 2:11 a.m.
rwn1971 - Glad to hear you got a win in! I managed to get 4 craterhoofs at once at my LGS last weekend when I had 2 spark doubles out as copies of Volo. I knew my opponent had a counter spell so I cast consecrated Sphinx first, which he countered… then I dropped the Hoof and swung to victory. I lost the next round to 3 combo decks, but Volo still performed admirably. Let me know what cards you swap and what you’ve had luck with! Also don’t run Guardian Project… you won’t draw off the token, which drops first, and then you won’t draw off the actual creature as it shares a name with the token… so no draw at all!
October 23, 2021 5:33 p.m.
Consecrated Sphinx i took out and put in Champion of Lambert(this gets big very fast and having two of them out makes it hard for others to block my mob). Pathbreaker Ibex i took out cause it does not survive a round and i put in Wurmcoil Engine ( reason is it might not last a round but go ahead and kill it, i get tokens which helps Craterhoof). Botanical Sanctum out for a Forest(i find it always comes into play tapped for me). Prismatic Vista for Lumbering Falls(I just don't own a Vista). Simic Growth Chamber out for Soldevi Excavations (if i am going to get 2 mana from a land and i always play this card when playing blue as it is such a underrated card). Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth for an Island(another card i do not own. Fierce Guardianship out for negate(another card i do not own). Wordly Tutor out for Garruk Relentless (This card actually won me a game cause i had it flipped and sac a creature to get Craterhoof. Mana Crypt out for Midnight Clock (just to pricey for me to get one and i do like Midnight Clock as it does have a upside for a mana stone).
October 24, 2021 9:04 p.m.
Also i took out Kiora's Follower for Tempest Caller( another way to shut down many opponents).
October 24, 2021 9:44 p.m.
rwn1971 - Champion of Lambholt won’t be copied by Volo, because it shares the Human creature type. Otherwise I think all of your swaps make sense. I’ve gotten too much value out of the Consecrated Sphinx to consider cutting it, but I’m definitely eyeing the Pathbreaker Ibex for a potential swap. Thanks for the update!
November 2, 2021 2:58 p.m.
rwn1971 - Tempest Caller shares the Wizard type with Volo and also wouldn’t get copied… just a heads up!
November 2, 2021 3:01 p.m.
Oh i wasn't even looking at Volo when i did the changes for creature types. Thanks for the heads up.
November 5, 2021 10:08 p.m.
No cause that creature just enters the battlefield and not cast as where Garruk puts that creature into your hand. I prefer the benefit of having that creature in my hand especially when Volo is out and even better with Twinning Staff out at same time. So far i am 5-0 with my deck playing FNM.
Anon_Steele says... #1
Not bad, I'm going to take salamander mutineer for my volo deck tho.
August 12, 2021 8:02 a.m.