It's cold and you wanna go home but you're tapped

Commander / EDH Tap/Untap WU (Azorius)

Laimey

Creature (19)

• 1x Berg Strider
• 1x Court Street Denizen
• 1x Dreamshackle Geist
• 1x Elvish Mariner
• 1x Frost Augur
• 1x Frost Titan
• 1x Gadwick, the Wizened
• 1x Grand Arbiter Augustin IV
• 1x Icebreaker Kraken
• 1x Icewrought Sentry
• 1x Icingdeath, Frost Tyrant
• 1x Illithid Harvester
• 1x Lier, Disciple of the Drowned
• 1x Lossarnach Captain
• 1x Rhoda, Geist Avenger
• 1x Sharae of Numbing Depths
• 1x Tempest Caller
• 1x Thassa, Deep-Dwelling
• 1x Timin, Youthful Geist

Land (40)

• 1x Glacial Floodplain
• 1x Glacial Fortress
• 1x Hallowed Fountain
• 1x Prairie Stream
• 22x Snow-Covered Island
• 14x Snow-Covered Plains

Instant (15)

• 1x Blustersquall
• 1x Brave the Elements
• 1x Crippling Chill
• 1x Cryptic Command
• 1x Cyclonic Rift
• 1x Farsight Ritual
• 1x Frost Breath
• 1x Graven Lore
• 1x Icy Blast
• 1x Mana Drain
• 1x Plunge into Winter
• 1x Return to Dust
• 1x Succumb to the Cold
• 1x Swan Song
• 1x You See a Guard Approach

Enchantment (8)

• 1x Bitter Chill
• 1x Marit Lage's Slumber
• 1x On Thin Ice
• 1x Opposition
• 1x Solitary Sanctuary
• 1x Time of Ice
• 1x Verity Circle
• 1x Winter's Rest

Sorcery (5)

• 1x Bond of Discipline
• 1x Borrowing 100,000 Arrows
• 1x Freeze in Place
• 1x Search for Glory
• 1x Sleep

Commander (1)

Artifact (12)

• 1x Arcane Signet
• 1x Bident of Thassa
• 1x Coldsteel Heart
• 1x Giant's Amulet
• 1x Greatsword of Tyr
• 1x Hylda's Crown of Winter
• 1x Icebind Pillar
• 1x Pearl Medallion
• 1x Replicating Ring
• 1x Sapphire Medallion
• 1x Scepter of Dominance
• 1x Sol Ring

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Maybeboard

Instant (11)

• 1x Eerie Interlude
• 1x Ghostly Flicker
• 1x Path to Exile
• 1x Pongify
• 1x Rapid Hybridization
• 1x Reprieve
• 1x Spell Swindle
• 1x Stubborn Denial
• 1x Swan Song
• 1x Swan Song
• 1x Swords to Plowshares

Land (5)

• 1x Academy Ruins
• 1x Arcane Lighthouse
• 1x Detection Tower
• 1x Flooded Strand
• 1x Tendo Ice Bridge

Artifact (2)

• 1x The Magic Mirror
• 1x Winged Boots

Creature (4)

• 1x Glen Elendra Archmage
• 1x Kapsho Kitefins
• 1x Moonshaker Cavalry
• 1x Snapcaster Mage

Sorcery (1)

• 1x Ravenform

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Hylda with a winter/solitude/eerie theme! Looking for cards that are related to winter, storms, ice/water/oceans, royalty/court etc.

In order to balance the deck a bit out in terms of flavor and fun, but still make a deck that can win, some compromises had to be made:

• some cards are not included since they don't fit well enough art/flavor-wise
• some cards have been included to not handicap the deck too much although they do not fit the theme 100%

So please check the maybe-board for alternatives/inspiration!

The main thing to change is to put in more removal, protection and tutors. Since at a certain point you will be able to sit back and don't want to commit even more tap effects to the board, and instead rather have ways to protect your boardstate/engine (= Hylda in particular). See the section on 'replaceables' for the cards I would replace with the below:

• Removal: 1 mana removal spells such as pongify, rapid hybridization and the typical Path to Exile and Swords to Plowshares.
• Protection: Counters and/or Flicker/Phase out spells (enough choice in blue/white) help protect Hylda + flicker has the added benefit of interacting with other ETB effects. Additionally, spells like Reprieve or Unsubstantiate work better with Lier than hard counters and can give us the necessary tempo as well.
• Tutors to go look for the cards we need (for example enlightened, idyllic, mystical, personal). Whatever you prefer.
• Ways to remove hexproof, but to keep this limited as we have mass tap effects as well. Nevertheless including something like Arcane Lighthouse would not have any downside.

Then on the deck!

Mana advantage

Due to the 1 mana cost on Hylda's ability, any way to compensate for this will help tremendously. Can always go for more mna rocks than the below:

• - Sol Ring: Not really winter theme, but I'm also not looking to handicap the deck, since Sol Ring shines even more than usual in this deck (+ the art looks 'cold' enough).
• - Arcane Signet: Same reasoning as Sol Ring. + Mana fix
• - Pearl Medallion: Compensates onesidely on paying for Hylda's ability. The only thing to help it would be more white spells. But always helps to cast/recast Hylda anyway. Replace with a manarock for budget reasons.
• - Sapphire Medallion: Compensates onesidely on paying for Hylda's ability, and there are a ton of blue spells to take advantage of this one. Helps to cast/recast Hylda at all times. Replace with a manarock for budget reasons.
• - Coldsteel Heart: This one does it all, snowy theme, mana fix, ...
• - Replicating Ring: Same as Coldsteal Heart, except long term you get 8 more to go wild with late-game mass tap effects and lots of mana.
• - Grand Arbiter Augustin IV: Saves on mana to enable Hylda's ability, potential to delay opponents. Casting Hylda for -2 less is amazing.

Tap Synergy

Instants

Instants have the surprise factor together with Hylda's ability. Leaving open mana to then do a ton of stuff never felt better. + options to recover from the graveyard with Lier and/or Snapcaster for example. Downside is that these are one-time effects, and limited value without hylda on the board.

• - Blustersquall: Stormy enough to make the cut, plus the instant mass tap effect for all opponents is not something we can skip.
• - You See a Guard Approach: Protection for Hylda + the ability to do an instant one mana tap effect. Versatility win.
• - Plunge into Winter: Tap, scry, draw in one cheap instant spell. Can cast it early (before Hylda) without worry due to the scry + card draw.
• - Crippling Chill: Tap + card draw
• - Frost Breath: Tap and keep tapped
• - Succumb to the Cold: Tap and keep tapped
• - Cryptic Command: Star of the show.
• - Icy Blast: Versatile tapper, + we should always have a 4/4 body to trigger Ferocious

Enchantments

Enchantments lose a lot of the benefits instants have, but can have more continuous impact. I opt for only a few due to their synergy/secondary or permanent effects. I would refrain from using enchantments for tap effects that do not have any other strong benefit. Currently no way as well to recover these from the graveyard, and due to the limited number of enchantments not something I want to pursue. Added the 2 cheap permanent tap enchantments since sometimes you just want to keep things tapped.

• - Winter's Rest: flavor and permanent tap for cheap
• - Bitter Chill: flavor, permanent tap and with a draw option.
• - Solitary Sanctuary: Taps + engine on its own to take advantage of tap effects to grow creatures
• - Time of Ice: Saves mana on next turn tap for tap effects + mass bounce you can time for.
• - Opposition: Do whatever you want, as long as you have mana to pay for Hylda's ability. The most broken enchantment with Hylda.

Sorceries

Same as enchantment, do not have the benefit of instants and are usually more one-time effects compared to Enchantments. So any sorcery needs to have a massive effect for it to be included:

• - Sleep: Having the second ability trigger even on already tapped creatures is massive, plus with a 4CMC cost it is cheap enough to still enable Hylda's ability and swing for 1 or 2 rounds.
• - Bond of Discipline: We do need some lifegain, although when casting this spell it might also just be a win instead.

Artifacts

I prefer these artifacts above creatures with similar tap effects due to flavor, haste and to diversify tap effects, even though creatures with tap effects can benefit from Hylda's +1/+1 counters. Repetitive cheap tap effects at instant speed (1 at sorcery). Currently no way as well to recover these from the graveyard. At some point might want to include Academy Ruins if the mana base can handle it. Or to replace bastion.

• - Greatsword of Tyr: Note: even if it is only during combat, the equip cost is cheap enough to trigger it continuously and does not cost any mana once equiped (frees up mana for Hylda's ability)
• - Hylda's Crown of Winter: obvious inclusion for flavor, tap and card draw.
• - Scepter of Dominance: included for flavor and cheap tap effect.
• - Icebind Pillar: obvious inclusion for flavor and recurring cheap tap.

Creatures

Creatures will be the main enablers of repetitive tap effects + can be boosted with counters.

• - Dreamshackle Geist: cheap, repetitive tap, + flyer. And versatility to keep tapped.
• - Elvish Mariner: infinite hylda triggers as long as you have mana.
• - Icewrought Sentry: the second ability is key here as it can get out of hand when having numerous/mass tap effects in place.
• - Court Street Denizen: triggers on each 4/4 created. Great synergy. Court/royalty flavor.
• - Lossarnach Captain: provides bodies to go wide and get +1/+1 counters, repetitive tap. Great synergy.
• - Tempest Caller: mass tap effects we can flicker if we opt to invest more into that route.
• - Thassa, Deep-Dwelling: Free flicker since we have multiple creatures with ETB effects (looking at you illithid harvester) + repetitive tap effect. Fits perfectly.
• - Sharae of Numbing Depths: enjoy your card draw on each turn.
• - Timin, Youthful Geist: triggers on each combat step. Massive.
• - Illithid Harvester: Being able to turn any creature (or all creatures we want up-side down is amazing. Especially since it can be done repetively with some flicker effects.
• - Gadwick, the Wizened: nice to cast early or late!

Protection

Protection for our engine. Can definitely be increased. Counters, flickers, protection/phase out spells, hexproof for Hylda, ... See Maybe-board.

• - Giant's Amulet: I did not feel like having to counter every direct removal spell for Hylda. So slapping on some hexproof.
• - Brave the Elements: Protection for Hylda + her tokens and other white creatures, and with the potential to swing through.
• - Swan Song: I like the art for this one in the deck, plus provides some cheap good protection.
• - Mana Drain: Protection against unwanted spells and absolutely crazy for follow-up with all the available mana for Hylda's ability.

General advantage/synergy

Card draw/advantage, removal and other

• - Frost Augur: Made the cut since we have 45+ snow permanents we can draw, is cheap enough and is within theme.
• - On Thin Ice: The only reason I have this above Path to Exile or Swords to Plowshares is the winter theme of the card.
• - Marit Lage's Slumber: Together with the snowlands and other snow permanents, scrying 1 every turn is phenomenal to keep digging.
• - Cyclonic Rift: stormy enough ad provides some much needed board reset potential.
• - Verity Circle: the card draw, all the card draw. Boosts every other tap effect you have for massive gains.
• - Search for Glory: Tutor that is within theme. Ideally we have more tutors. Fetches the necessary cards in this deck.
• - Borrowing 100,000 Arrows: Massive draw, too good to not include. Court (army)/ocean flavor.
• - Return to Dust: For those pesky broken enchantments/artifacts. Art is 'cold' enough to make the cut.
• - Farsight Ritual: I'm sure there are better options, included versus other options for the theme.
• - Bident of Thassa: Since the tapping will enable us to get damage through fairly often this becomes a form of repetitive card draw that can force opponents' creatures into our tokens, or allow us to swing.
• - Rhoda, Geist Avenger: Tutors for a tap engine. + get's benefit from all the tap effects we have. Can swing for a lot.
• - Lier, Disciple of the Drowned: Play Lier, untap and do everything all over again. So many options.
• - Graven Lore: Same as Farsight ritual.

Lands

Just a note on lands is that I really do not like lands that enter the battlefield tapped. I try to avoid these as much as I can as it can really make a lot of difference since you will always be spending all the mana you have as mich as possible (imho). The other note on lands is that you really want to hit all your land drops, reason why I'm opting for at least 40 lands!

Replaceables

Cards that have synergy but can be easily replaced by other options, for example to better protect our board or for some hard removal. Also including high CMC creatures (Frost Titan/Krakens) as I would like to keep the average CMC low to not have to tap out and have options/potential to use Hylda's ability.

• - Freeze in Place: one time-effect, even though it lingers for 2 more turns.
• - Icingdeath, Frost Tyrant: Has zero immediate impact and we are not working around death triggers.
• - Berg Strider: I generally don't want to tap out or spend 5 mana for tapping one creature.
• - Frost Titan: Expensive and limited tap effect (only one targetted). Kept for the winter theme.C an be replaced if desired.
• - Icebreaker Kraken: Has limited synergy since it does not tap but keeps tapped. The body is nice but we would anyway normally be swimming/freezing in 4/4 elementals.

Thank you for reading and please leave any suggestions/comments!

Top Ranked	Achieved #12 position overall 1 year ago Achieved #9 position in Commander / EDH 1 year ago
Date added	1 year
Last updated	4 months
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	6 - 0 Mythic Rares 28 - 0 Rares 19 - 0 Uncommons 10 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	3.15
Tokens	Bird 2/2 U, Elemental 4/4 WU, Giant Wizard, Human Soldier 1/1 W, Icingdeath, Frost Tongue, Marit Lage, On an Adventure, Replicated Ring