Let's talk c17: Edgar Markov
Spoilers, Rumors, and Speculation forum
Posted on Aug. 10, 2017, 2:49 a.m. by LordNazahn
This is 1 of 4 threads I'm making to let others discuss the face commanders of each of the 4 new tribal Commander 2017 precon decks.
This thread is dedicated to the Vampire tribal deck, lead by none other then the head of the Markov family: Edgar Markov
Edgar Markov is a Mardu vampire, costing RWB3 for a 4/4 Vampire Knight with First Strike and Haste. As with all C17 face commanders he has an eminence ability:
Eminence - Whenever you cast another Vampire spell, if Edgar Markov is in the command zone or on the battlefield, create a 1/1 black Vampire creature token.
This is a great and easy to trigger ability, add in Anointed Procession and you can easily get a swarm of vampire tokens out to feast on the blood of your opponents and bleed them dry!
Well what else does he offer? Well his second ability isn't half bad either:
Whenever Edgar Markov attacks, put a +1/+1 counter on each Vampire you control.
Now to things to note: First, it says EACH vampire, not each other, meaning he puts a counter on himself. Second, he has haste and first strike, so for his 6 CMC your really getting a 5/5 with First strike that buffs all other vampires when he attacks. Combining this with a Drana means all non first strike vampires get +2/+2 before damage when they attack with Edgar and Drana leading the way.
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Ok so let's talk, while not a T1 general, Edgar is a force to be reckoned with. He might be a bit high on the CMC scale, but this is EDH where mana rocks and other mana acceleration is almost a staple to most decks, getting him out Turn 3-4 isn't a crazy thought since 3 of his cost is generic mana, meaning a Sol Ring and Thought Vessel pay for this. And the cost is well worth the body, a 4/4 is hard to remove at instant speed with burn, requiring direct 'destroy' or 'exile' cards to answer, and his haste pumps him to a 5/5 instantly. This means he can get big and scary real quick, and with First Strike to boot...well he won't be killed in combat too easily either.
Looking aside from that, the ability to make a 1/1 any time you cast a Vampire gives black some fodder for sacrifice targets and skullclamp gives the deck the draw power it needs to fuel the rampage.
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Well, not sure what else to say, so final thoughts:
8/10: Of all the face commanders of the set, I honestly find him one of the strongest, I feel he has a strong presence both on AND off the board, leading to some good vampire tribal fun. Sadly though, as with all face cards of this set, outside of Mardu Vampires I doubt he will be in any major decks.
So thoughts people? Is he your favorite commander? What reprints do you want in this deck, personally I hope for Bloodline Keeper and Vampire Nighthawk
Grixis Wizards: Inalla, Archmage Ritualist
LordNazahn says... #3
Ah good catch, I'm gonna edit that out then, totally forgot that part :P
August 10, 2017 5:06 a.m.
LittleBlueHero says... #4
Apparently (didn't see it myself but people have mentioned on a few threads) wizards said no double sided cards. So unfortunately no Bloodline Keeper.
Edgar here gets crazy with Mana Echoes + 1cmc vamps and a Cloudstone Curio. Mana Echoes has spiked hard. I would love to see a reprint (but im dreaming probably). Couldstone Curio would also be a fun card in any of these decks.
August 10, 2017 9:46 a.m.
Edgar seems good, and vamps are fun and all, but I'm also really just looking forward to mathas. I've always wanted to place literal bounties on cards.
August 10, 2017 noon
MindAblaze says... #6
I find him kind of boring. Powerful for sure, although the lack of evasion is suspect. There are a lot of vampires out there to play with, so it could lead to some new decks. It almost builds itself though, which isn't really up my alley.
August 10, 2017 3:06 p.m.
Here is my upgrade for this deck, feel free to comment or let me know what you would think. Any suggestions are welcome and I would love to hear thoughts.
Vampiric Bloodlust (C17)
Commander / EDH*
SCORE: 3 | 74 VIEWS
August 22, 2017 3:45 p.m.
SteelSentry and DarkEclipse18, Panharmonicon will not trigger off cast. However, if you couple it with Anointed Procession, then you can use the Procession to get a second vampire from eminence. Then Panharmonicon will trigger for the Procession tokens, which I believe makes 2 more tokens, for a total of 4 tokens per cast vampire. Somebody can check me if they want, but Panharmonicon could be a decent addition to the deck if Anointed Procession was in there with a way to tutor for both of them.
August 22, 2017 7:17 p.m.
LordNazahn says... #9
I do not believe panharmonicon triggers anointed since the actual token trigger is still coming from Edgar. All the same there could be a card that will trigger when a creature etb, then panharmonicon is useful.
August 22, 2017 9:26 p.m.
No procession would copy the token markov creates, which because procession techically triggers from a token entering the battlefield, panharmonicon makes procession trigger again, causing 3 total tokens, not 4
August 22, 2017 9:31 p.m.
LordNazahn says... #11
Saddly won't trigger, here is why
So no, anointed will not get us the 3 only 2
August 22, 2017 11:59 p.m.
LordNazahn and Qolorful Thansk for the correction! I wasn't really thinking it through that the Procession was a replacement, not a trigger.
SteelSentry says... #2
Edgar is a cast trigger, so Panharmonicon will not work.
Mardu is my favorite wedge, but honestly I'm not a fan of vamps. I'm pretty excited for building Malthas, Fiend Seeker though. The deck is pretty sweet, but I'm not as stoked as everyone else seems to be (I'm personally on the dragons train).
August 10, 2017 4:37 a.m.