edhseer Commander synergy, explained

Precons › Secret Lair Drop

20 Ways to Win

Commander precon · Secret Lair Drop · 2024 · led by Go-Shintai of Life's Origin

Synergy 2.7/5 (developing) · Bracket 3 · Go-Shintai of Life's Origin works with 29 of its cards

Upgrades at bracket 1–2

No Game Changers and no infinite combos: the level of an unchanged precon. Game Changers are cards on WotC's official list of cards that make a deck much stronger.It starts at bracket 3, so the first swap brings it down.

13 swaps, and after them the report reads the deck at bracket 1–2.

Its cards work together more: synergy 2.7 → 3.2 of 5, from developing to connected. It is a little more consistent: Build 4.3 → 4.4 of 5, still on target; still 2 short on interaction, 2 short on card advantage, was 3, still 1 short on ramp. That is what this page measures: how well the deck holds together, not how strong it is.

First, to reach bracket 1–2

  1. Take out Seedborn Muse: Seedborn Muse is on the official Game Changer list, which raises a deck's bracket; bracket 1–2 allows none, and this deck has 1. Put in Elvish Archivist: When a Clue enters thanks to Tireless Tracker, Elvish Archivist puts 2 +1/+1 counters on itself

Lands

  1. Take out Selesnya Guildgate: Selesnya Guildgate enters tapped. Put in Savannah: Savannah never enters tapped and makes white or green.
  2. Take out Golgari Guildgate: Golgari Guildgate enters tapped. Put in Bayou: Bayou never enters tapped and makes black or green.
  3. Take out Orzhov Guildgate: Orzhov Guildgate enters tapped. Put in Desolate Mire: Desolate Mire never enters tapped and makes white or black.
  4. Take out Simic Guildgate: Simic Guildgate enters tapped. Put in Breeding Pool: Breeding Pool never enters tapped and makes blue or green.
  5. Take out Gruul Guildgate: Gruul Guildgate enters tapped. Put in Fire-Lit Thicket: Fire-Lit Thicket never enters tapped and makes red or green.
  6. Take out Azorius Guildgate: Azorius Guildgate enters tapped. Put in Hallowed Fountain: Hallowed Fountain never enters tapped and makes white or blue.
  7. Take out Boros Guildgate: Boros Guildgate enters tapped. Put in Plateau: Plateau never enters tapped and makes white or red.
  8. Take out Rakdos Guildgate: Rakdos Guildgate enters tapped. Put in Badlands: Badlands never enters tapped and makes black or red.
  9. Take out Dimir Guildgate: Dimir Guildgate enters tapped. Put in Darkwater Catacombs: Darkwater Catacombs never enters tapped and makes blue or black.
  10. Take out Izzet Guildgate: Izzet Guildgate enters tapped. Put in Cascade Bluffs: Cascade Bluffs never enters tapped and makes blue or red.

Cards that work together

  1. Take out Mechanized Production: Mechanized Production works with 4 cards in this deck, 1 of them on its theme; Builder's Talent works with 19 cards, 3 of them on it. Put in Builder's Talent: When a Clue enters thanks to Tireless Tracker, Builder's Talent puts a counter on a creature
  2. Take out Mayael's Aria: Mayael's Aria works with 6 cards in this deck, 2 of them on its theme; Fear of Infinity works with 12 cards, 4 of them on it. Put in Fear of Infinity: When a permanent enters thanks to Sun Titan, Fear of Infinity returns itself from the graveyard

Upgrades at bracket 3

Up to three Game Changers, and no two-card infinite combo that costs 6 or less.

15 swaps, and after them the report reads the deck at bracket 3.

Its cards work together more: synergy 2.7 → 3.2 of 5, from developing to connected. It is a little more consistent: Build 4.3 → 4.4 of 5, still on target; still 2 short on interaction, 2 short on card advantage, was 3, still 1 short on ramp. That is what this page measures: how well the deck holds together, not how strong it is.

Lands

  1. Take out Selesnya Guildgate: Selesnya Guildgate enters tapped. Put in Savannah: Savannah never enters tapped and makes white or green.
  2. Take out Golgari Guildgate: Golgari Guildgate enters tapped. Put in Bayou: Bayou never enters tapped and makes black or green.
  3. Take out Orzhov Guildgate: Orzhov Guildgate enters tapped. Put in Desolate Mire: Desolate Mire never enters tapped and makes white or black.
  4. Take out Simic Guildgate: Simic Guildgate enters tapped. Put in Breeding Pool: Breeding Pool never enters tapped and makes blue or green.
  5. Take out Gruul Guildgate: Gruul Guildgate enters tapped. Put in Fire-Lit Thicket: Fire-Lit Thicket never enters tapped and makes red or green.
  6. Take out Azorius Guildgate: Azorius Guildgate enters tapped. Put in Hallowed Fountain: Hallowed Fountain never enters tapped and makes white or blue.
  7. Take out Boros Guildgate: Boros Guildgate enters tapped. Put in Plateau: Plateau never enters tapped and makes white or red.
  8. Take out Rakdos Guildgate: Rakdos Guildgate enters tapped. Put in Badlands: Badlands never enters tapped and makes black or red.
  9. Take out Dimir Guildgate: Dimir Guildgate enters tapped. Put in Darkwater Catacombs: Darkwater Catacombs never enters tapped and makes blue or black.
  10. Take out Izzet Guildgate: Izzet Guildgate enters tapped. Put in Cascade Bluffs: Cascade Bluffs never enters tapped and makes blue or red.

Interaction

  1. Take out Clever Concealment: Clever Concealment is weaker protection than Teferi's Protection. Put in Teferi's Protection: Teferi's Protection is protection too, and one of the strongest cards in Commander: a Game Changer, which this bracket allows.

Board wipes

  1. Take out Supreme Verdict: Supreme Verdict is weaker board wipe than Cyclonic Rift. Put in Cyclonic Rift: Cyclonic Rift is board wipe too, and one of the strongest cards in Commander: a Game Changer, which this bracket allows.

Cards that work together

  1. Take out Approach of the Second Sun: Approach of the Second Sun works with 1 card in this deck, 1 of it on its theme; Elvish Archivist works with 14 cards, 3 of them on it, and with your commander. Put in Elvish Archivist: When a Clue enters thanks to Tireless Tracker, Elvish Archivist puts 2 +1/+1 counters on itself
  2. Take out Mechanized Production: Mechanized Production works with 4 cards in this deck, 1 of them on its theme; Builder's Talent works with 19 cards, 3 of them on it. Put in Builder's Talent: When a Clue enters thanks to Tireless Tracker, Builder's Talent puts a counter on a creature
  3. Take out Mayael's Aria: Mayael's Aria works with 6 cards in this deck, 2 of them on its theme; Fear of Infinity works with 12 cards, 4 of them on it. Put in Fear of Infinity: When a permanent enters thanks to Sun Titan, Fear of Infinity returns itself from the graveyard

Upgrades at bracket 4–5

No limits on Game Changers or combos.

15 swaps, and after them the report reads the deck at bracket 3. These are the same swaps as at bracket 3: none of the stronger cards bracket 4–5 allows does any of these jobs strictly better, so aiming higher changes nothing for this deck.

Its cards work together more: synergy 2.7 → 3.2 of 5, from developing to connected. It is a little more consistent: Build 4.3 → 4.4 of 5, still on target; still 2 short on interaction, 2 short on card advantage, was 3, still 1 short on ramp. That is what this page measures: how well the deck holds together, not how strong it is.

Lands

  1. Take out Selesnya Guildgate: Selesnya Guildgate enters tapped. Put in Savannah: Savannah never enters tapped and makes white or green.
  2. Take out Golgari Guildgate: Golgari Guildgate enters tapped. Put in Bayou: Bayou never enters tapped and makes black or green.
  3. Take out Orzhov Guildgate: Orzhov Guildgate enters tapped. Put in Desolate Mire: Desolate Mire never enters tapped and makes white or black.
  4. Take out Simic Guildgate: Simic Guildgate enters tapped. Put in Breeding Pool: Breeding Pool never enters tapped and makes blue or green.
  5. Take out Gruul Guildgate: Gruul Guildgate enters tapped. Put in Fire-Lit Thicket: Fire-Lit Thicket never enters tapped and makes red or green.
  6. Take out Azorius Guildgate: Azorius Guildgate enters tapped. Put in Hallowed Fountain: Hallowed Fountain never enters tapped and makes white or blue.
  7. Take out Boros Guildgate: Boros Guildgate enters tapped. Put in Plateau: Plateau never enters tapped and makes white or red.
  8. Take out Rakdos Guildgate: Rakdos Guildgate enters tapped. Put in Badlands: Badlands never enters tapped and makes black or red.
  9. Take out Dimir Guildgate: Dimir Guildgate enters tapped. Put in Darkwater Catacombs: Darkwater Catacombs never enters tapped and makes blue or black.
  10. Take out Izzet Guildgate: Izzet Guildgate enters tapped. Put in Cascade Bluffs: Cascade Bluffs never enters tapped and makes blue or red.

Interaction

  1. Take out Clever Concealment: Clever Concealment is weaker protection than Teferi's Protection. Put in Teferi's Protection: Teferi's Protection is protection too, and one of the strongest cards in Commander: a Game Changer, which this bracket allows.

Board wipes

  1. Take out Supreme Verdict: Supreme Verdict is weaker board wipe than Cyclonic Rift. Put in Cyclonic Rift: Cyclonic Rift is board wipe too, and one of the strongest cards in Commander: a Game Changer, which this bracket allows.

Cards that work together

  1. Take out Approach of the Second Sun: Approach of the Second Sun works with 1 card in this deck, 1 of it on its theme; Elvish Archivist works with 14 cards, 3 of them on it, and with your commander. Put in Elvish Archivist: When a Clue enters thanks to Tireless Tracker, Elvish Archivist puts 2 +1/+1 counters on itself
  2. Take out Mechanized Production: Mechanized Production works with 4 cards in this deck, 1 of them on its theme; Builder's Talent works with 19 cards, 3 of them on it. Put in Builder's Talent: When a Clue enters thanks to Tireless Tracker, Builder's Talent puts a counter on a creature
  3. Take out Mayael's Aria: Mayael's Aria works with 6 cards in this deck, 2 of them on its theme; Fear of Infinity works with 12 cards, 4 of them on it. Put in Fear of Infinity: When a permanent enters thanks to Sun Titan, Fear of Infinity returns itself from the graveyard

Opens a route: God-Pharaoh's Faithful. 9 of its cards reach Heliod, Sun-Crowned through it.

Also short, against a typical Commander deck: card advantage 11 of 14, interaction 10 of 12, ramp 12 of 13.

The decklist

Creatures

Alseid of Life's Bounty · Augur of Autumn · Auriok Champion · Biovisionary · Dryad of the Ilysian Grove · Faeburrow Elder · Felidar Sovereign · Forgotten Ancient · Hangarback Walker · Heliod, Sun-Crowned · Hellkite Tyrant · Kynaios and Tiro of Meletis · Mangara, the Diplomat · Morbid Opportunist · Sanctum Weaver · Seedborn Muse · Shalai, Voice of Plenty · Soul's Attendant · Sun Titan · Sunscorch Regent · Taurean Mauler · Tireless Tracker · Triskaidekaphile · Twenty-Toed Toad · Yahenni, Undying Partisan

Planeswalkers

The Eternal Wanderer

Instants and sorceries

Approach of the Second Sun · Austere Command · Circuitous Route · Clever Concealment · Crib Swap · Drown in Dreams · Eerie Ultimatum · Heliod's Intervention · Rite of Replication · Sphinx's Revelation · Supreme Verdict · Tragic Arrogance

Artifacts and enchantments

Arcane Signet · Chromatic Lantern · Darksteel Mutation · Fertile Ground · Ghostly Prison · Ghoulish Impetus · Halo Fountain · Happily Ever After · Helix Pinnacle · Lightning Greaves · Lignify · Liliana's Contract · Maskwood Nexus · Mayael's Aria · Mechanized Production · Monologue Tax · Mystic Remora · Pariah · Revel in Riches · Shiny Impetus · Simic Ascendancy · Sol Ring · Test of Endurance · Trace of Abundance

Lands

Azorius Guildgate · Baldur's Gate · Black Dragon Gate · Boros Guildgate · Bountiful Promenade · Brushland · Citadel Gate · Cliffgate · Command Tower · Darksteel Citadel · Dimir Guildgate · Exotic Orchard · Forbidden Orchard · Forest · Gateway Plaza · Golgari Guildgate · Gond Gate · Gruul Guildgate · Heap Gate · Homeward Path · Izzet Guildgate · Manor Gate · Maze's End · Orzhov Guildgate · Overgrown Farmland · Path of Ancestry · Plains · Plaza of Harmony · Rakdos Guildgate · Razorverge Thicket · Reflecting Pool · Sea Gate · Selesnya Guildgate · Simic Guildgate · The World Tree · Thornglint Bridge · Wooded Bastion

Other Secret Lair Drop precons