The Surgin' General [Primer]

Commander / EDH Aggro Artificer Clone Energy Midrange Multiplayer Primer RUW (Jeskai, America) Tokens

Crow_Umbra

Creature (32)

• 1x Esper Sentinel
• 1x Guide of Souls
• 1x Agate Instigator
• 1x Amped Raptor
• 1x Charming Scoundrel
• 1x Pollywog Prodigy
• 1x Roil Cartographer
• 1x Silent Hallcreeper
• 1x Aether Channeler
• 1x Enduring Innocence
• 1x General Kreat, the Boltbringer
• 1x Glasspool Mimic  ^Flip
• 1x Imperial Recruiter
• 1x Loran of the Third Path
• 1x Professional Face-Breaker
• 1x Skyclave Apparition *f-pp*
• 1x Whirler Virtuoso
• 1x Beza, the Bounding Spring
• 1x Bronzebeak Foragers
• 1x Curiosity Crafter
• 1x Displacer Kitten
• 1x Enduring Curiosity
• 1x Mondrak, Glory Dominus
• 1x Sakashima of a Thousand Faces
• 1x Spark Double *f-list*
• 1x Vengeful Ancestor
• 1x Aerial Extortionist
• 1x Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines
• 1x Goldspan Dragon
• 1x Port Razer
• 1x Swooping Pteranodon
• 1x Terror of the Peaks

Enchantment (4)

• 1x Mystic Remora
• 1x Reconnaissance
• 1x Flowering of the White Tree
• 1x Warleader's Call

Land (36)

• 1x Adarkar Wastes
• 1x Aether Hub
• 1x Battlefield Forge
• 1x Command Beacon
• 1x Command Tower
• 1x Exotic Orchard
• 1x Flooded Strand
• 1x Glacial Fortress
• 1x Hallowed Fountain
• 3x Island
• 4x Mountain
• 5x Plains
• 1x Prairie Stream
• 1x Raugrin Triome
• 1x Reflecting Pool
• 1x Sacred Foundry
• 1x Scalding Tarn
• 1x Scavenger Grounds
• 1x Sea of Clouds
• 1x Shivan Reef
• 1x Spectator Seating
• 1x Steam Vents
• 1x Stormcarved Coast
• 1x Strip Mine
• 1x Sulfur Falls
• 1x Sundown Pass
• 1x Training Center

Sorcery (5)

• 1x Council's Judgment
• 1x Jeska's Will
• 1x Seize the Spotlight
• 1x Localized Destruction
• 1x Farewell

Commander (1)

Instant (12)

• 1x Swan Song
• 1x Swords to Plowshares
• 1x Boros Charm
• 1x Counterspell
• 1x Cyclonic Rift
• 1x Dovin's Veto
• 1x Mana Drain
• 1x Soul Partition
• 1x Eerie Interlude
• 1x Generous Gift
• 1x Teferi's Protection
• 1x Akroma's Will

Artifact (10)

• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Arcane Signet
• 1x Dolmen Gate
• 1x Pearl Medallion
• 1x Talisman of Conviction
• 1x Talisman of Creativity
• 1x Talisman of Progress
• 1x Winged Boots
• 1x Cursed Mirror
• 1x Aetherworks Marvel

---

Maybeboard

Creature (41)

• 1x Legion Loyalist
• 1x Aurora Shifter
• 1x Dockside Extortionist
• 1x Mogg War Marshal
• 1x Oracle of Tragedy
• 1x Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd
• 1x Tempest Harvester
• 1x Vexing Radgull
• 1x Volatile Stormdrake
• 1x Banisher Priest
• 1x Corsair Captain
• 1x Electrostatic Pummeler
• 1x Emissary of Soulfire
• 1x Fiend Hunter
• 1x Filigree Familiar
• 1x Flux Channeler
• 1x Overclocked Electromancer
• 1x Recruiter of the Guard
• 1x Rex, Cyber-Hound
• 1x Rumor Gatherer
• 1x Welcoming Vampire
• 1x Zinnia, Valley's Voice
• 1x Amphin Mutineer
• 1x Aragorn, King of Gondor
• 1x Atsushi, the Blazing Sky
• 1x Eomer, Marshal of Rohan
• 1x Felidar Guardian
• 1x Nesting Dovehawk
• 1x Solemn Simulacrum
• 1x Sower of Temptation
• 1x Stonehorn Dignitary
• 1x Ao, the Dawn Sky
• 1x Karlach, Fury of Avernus
• 1x Lightning Runner
• 1x Yorion, Sky Nomad
• 1x Bloodthirster
• 1x Brudiclad, Telchor Engineer
• 1x Kairi, the Swirling Sky
• 1x Wurmcoil Engine
• 1x Agent of Treachery
• 1x Salvation Colossus

Enchantment (7)

• 1x Determined Iteration
• 1x Grim Reaper's Sprint
• 1x Impact Tremors
• 1x Tocasia's Welcome
• 1x Aether Revolt
• 1x Reconnaissance Mission
• 1x Teleportation Circle

Artifact (6)

• 1x Lavaspur Boots
• 1x Lightning Greaves
• 1x Solar Transformer
• 1x Swiftfoot Boots
• 1x Conjurer's Closet
• 1x Gonti's Aether Heart

Instant (7)

• 1x Cloudshift
• 1x Ephemerate
• 1x Galvanic Discharge
• 1x Reprieve
• 1x Rootborn Defenses
• 1x Stroke of Midnight
• 1x Unexplained Absence

Sorcery (2)

• 1x Jolted Awake
• 1x Wheel of Potential

---

Energy Commander? Nah, Surgin' General. This is a token copies & clones deck first, Energy deck second.

The most difficult thing about making this deck was picking a name I liked; "Creatively Cloned Combatants", or some other option isn't entirely off the table. The second most difficult thing was convincing myself that my third attempt at piloting a Jeskai commander will finally be my most fruitful attempt. My last two attempts with Jeskai were Vadrok, Apex of Thunder (one of my first attempts at a combo deck, which I eventually trimmed down to just U/R), and Hinata, Dawn-Crowned(one of the most control & spellslinger focused decks I've piloted to date). Hopefully the third time is the charm.

I pulled a full art foil Satya from a MH3 pack, and upon closer inspection, realized that he might be up my alley after all:

• Aggro focus that wants to swing at faces.
• Provides opportunity to snowball value, especially by getting copies of valuable creatures.
• The build direction is open-ended enough to have a couple of potential different directions, & doesn't railroad brewers to one specific path.
• Satya is gas for the deck, which can function without him.

In this initial iteration of the deck, I am looking to keeping things fairly familiar and straightforward, but still allowing room for adjustments to what I feel the deck needs. For now the game plan pacing is fairly simple:

1. Play creatures with a variety of ETB effects
2. Utilize Satya and a handful of Clone effects to get additional copies of creatures with ETBs
3. Semi-optional: utilize Energy accumulation to keep around value-engine creature copies, or utilize the Energy for a variety of Energy related pay-offs.
4. Snowball value from token copies and Clones
5. ???
6. Have fun and all that good stuff.

Cards most seriously under consideration

As I get to know this deck and get some games under my belt, here are the cards that I'd consider for initial swaps, also since I know I have these in my collection:

More Blink stuff

From brewing, play-testing, and general eye-balling so far, my gut is telling me that I might be able to scale back on some of the Energy cards. If I do, I think that some of those slots can probably be swapped out for stuff that can blink creatures, and enable additional re-uses of ETBs. Of the stuff listed here, I'm a bit more inclined to include one of the instant speed options, given the flexibility to also act as protective effects.

Non-creature spells

• Cloudshift
• Ephemerate
• Ghostway
• Semester's End
• Teleportation Circle
• Conjurer's Closet

Creatures

• Aethergeode Miner
• Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd
• Fiend Hunter
• Displacer Kitten
• Felidar Guardian

Different Energy Payoffs

Given that Energy is more of a secondary focus to the deck, I will continue to play around with which pay offs fit best. For now, banking Energy to pay for "valuable" creatures (think Professional Facebreaker or other combat damage/attack triggers) will be the primary use.

• Electrostatic Pummeler

• Aetherworks Marvel

Creatures with death triggers

Although getting additional copies of ETB triggers is helpful, I've also considered adding in a sprinkling of Death or Leaves the Battlefield triggers. Taking advantage of death triggers on Legendary creatures could also prove useful.

• Mogg War Marshal
• Oracle of Tragedy
• Resplendent Marshal
• Atsushi, the Blazing Sky

Clones & Creative Copies

For this deck, I'm primarily focusing on creatures that have Enter the Battlefield or Combat Damage triggers, since copies created by Satya enter tapped and attacking. Focusing on these types of triggers helps ensure that creatures are impactful as soon as they hit the table, & can snowball value with repeated usage from token copies & Clone effects.

Clones

• Cursed Mirror - Excellent utility for this deck, copying whatever the best creature is around the battlefield, & can be an extra mana rock if a Satya copy is kept around.

• Glasspool Mimic   - Can copy 24/30 creatures currently in the 99, as of 7/15/24, technically 25 if you count Sakashima of a Thousand Faces. I'd prefer not to play its land side, but that kind of utility can help in a pinch.

• Sakashima of a Thousand Faces - Will be used as a copy of Satya the overwhelming majority of the time.

• Spark Double - Ditto as Sakashima. Can also be a fun copy target for Satya.

Copies need sources

These are truly all stars that I love to slam down and make as many copies of as I can get away with. I'm not listing every creature in this deck with an ETB or combat trigger, just the ones that can really help snowball your momentum:

• Agate Instigator - An Impact Tremors effect that can copy itself with Offspring, & be copied by Satya the same turn it enters.

• Guide of Souls - After a few games with Satya, Guide of Souls truly stood out as a key piece that helped with life stabilization and accruing Energy. At 1 mana, this is an easy copy to keep around, if it can survive combat.

• Dockside Extortionist - Goes without saying. What's better than dropping 1 Dockside in a turn? Dropping at least one more Dockside that same turn.

• Imperial Recruiter - An excellent tutor for this deck, which can grab 15/30 creatures in the 99, as of 7/15/24. Recruiter can grab two out of the three Clones listed above, as well as most of the other creatures in this section.

• Skyclave Apparition - Great repeated and versatile single target removal.

• Aerial Extortionist - Can essentially 3 for 1 on "removal" if copied the turn it hits the table.

• Terror of the Peaks - Although the 15/30 creatures in the 99 (as of 7/15/24) have power 2 or less, being able to make multiple copies of ToP to balloon damage & create a challenging board presence feels great.

Draw

Given that Satya can make copies of creatures, I tried to include some cantrip draw on creature ETBs as a means of getting that repeated value.

• Raugrin Triome
• Esper Sentinel
• Mystic Remora
• Charming Scoundrel - I think most of the time, I'll likely select the Treasure option. I prefer Looting/Rummaging draw more so for decks that can also make use of their graveyards. If I do select that mode, it will likely be to pitch extra lands or stuff that's out of CMC range that I can feasibly cast.
• Roil Cartographer - In play-testing, it hasn't been too difficult to get up to 6 {ENERGY} most of the time, especially if I can copy her with Satya.
• Aether Channeler - I like the modal options here. I will likely pick draw most of the time, but getting those extra copies helps to get use out of those other modes.
• Jeska's Will
• Loran of the Third Path - Playing politics with draw.
• Professional Face-Breaker - Helpful to get a Satya copy to increase treasure production on combat damage, and get additional fuel for Impulse draw.
• Rumor Gatherer
• Aragorn, King of Gondor
• Curiosity Crafter - A decent copy target for Satya, especially since it is evasive & can stack triggers.
• Reconnaissance Mission
• Aerial Extortionist - As Impulse draw becomes more common, especially with a new Rocco, Street Chef deck in my meta, this should be a fairly decent draw option.

Feeling Energetic

As mentioned earlier in the primer, I don't intend for Energy to be the primary focus of this deck. I intend to utilize Energy to keep around copies of value creatures when possible, or to dump into one of the outlets listed here. Many of these cards gain chip amounts of Energy either as a one-off, or have potential for repeated production if they're on a creature with an ETB trigger.

• Aether Hub
• Galvanic Discharge - A Lightning Bolt (Energy Bolt?) that can scale with banked Energy. Might replace with straight up Lightning Bolt, or another cheap removal piece like Soul Partition.
• Guide of Souls - Absolute All Star in this deck, and a great copy target for Satya. He really does it all: Energy production, incidental life gain, and an effective outlet to help get combat damage through.
• Amped Raptor - A fun Energy generator with a fun Energy-Cascade type effect. Although token copies won't get the Cascade-ish effect, Energy on ETB is helpful.
• Roil Cartographer - An excellent early curve set up, and decent Satya copy target for early turns. In play-testing, it isn't too difficult to get to 6 {ENERGY}, so getting the card draw activation isn't unrealistic.
• Solar Transformer - Turning Energy into color fixing isn't awful. Might replace with Fellwar Stone or another rock if entering tapped proves to be too unhelpful.
• Volatile Stormdrake - A Gilded Drake if you squint hard enough. Can be a means of theft with enough Energy investment, or is basically a removal spell.
• Whirler Virtuoso - Mostly here for the 3 Energy on ETB.
• Aetherworks Marvel - A repeated means of gaining Energy, especially from Satya token copies that aren't paid for.
• Lightning Runner
• Localized Destruction - Scale for asymmetrical wipe.

Top Ranked	Achieved #1 position overall 5 months ago
Date added	6 months
Last updated	6 days
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	11 - 0 Mythic Rares 59 - 0 Rares 16 - 0 Uncommons 2 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	2.92
Tokens	Agate Instigator 1/1 R, Bird 1/1 W, Bird 2/2 U, Copy Clone, Elephant 3/3 G, Energy Reserve, Fish 1/1 U, Goblin 1/1 R, Illusion */* U, Thopter 1/1 C, Treasure, Wicked
Folders	Favorite Decks, untap decks to try, Decks to try, Decks to Play, EDH Deck Ideas, Other Peoples decks to use for ideas, Decks I Use, EDH