edhseer Commander synergy, explained

Precons › Starter Commander Decks

First Flight

Commander precon · Starter Commander Decks · 2022 · led by Isperia, Supreme Judge

Main theme: Bird tribal · Synergy 2.1/5 (developing) · Bracket 1–2 · Isperia, Supreme Judge works with 10 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.

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

Its cards work together a little more: synergy 2.1 → 2.5 of 5, still developing. It is a little more consistent: Build 4.7 → 5.0 of 5, still on target; no longer short on ramp. That is what this page measures: how well the deck holds together, not how strong it is.

Lands

  1. Take out Coastal Tower: Coastal Tower enters tapped. Put in Hallowed Fountain: Hallowed Fountain never enters tapped and makes white or blue.
  2. Take out Meandering River: Meandering River enters tapped. Put in Mystic Gate: Mystic Gate never enters tapped and makes white or blue.
  3. Take out Port Town: Port Town enters tapped. Put in Sea of Clouds: Sea of Clouds never enters tapped and makes white or blue.
  4. Take out Sejiri Refuge: Sejiri Refuge enters tapped. Put in Skycloud Expanse: Skycloud Expanse never enters tapped and makes white or blue.
  5. Take out Temple of Enlightenment: Temple of Enlightenment enters tapped. Put in Tundra: Tundra never enters tapped and makes white or blue.
  6. Take out Tranquil Cove: Tranquil Cove enters tapped. Put in Deserted Beach: Deserted Beach enters tapped less often and makes white or blue.

Ramp

  1. Take out Rally of Wings: Rally of Wings is next on the report's cut list. Its only links come from cards that make others cheaper, or easier to find or bring back. Put in Phial of Galadriel: Ramp: you were 3 short; Phial of Galadriel counts as ramp. When Windreader Sphinx makes a player draw a card, Phial of Galadriel draws you 2 cards.
  2. Take out Condemn: Condemn is next on the report's cut list. Its only links come from cards that make others cheaper, or easier to find or bring back. Put in Fellwar Stone: Ramp: you were 3 short; Fellwar Stone counts as ramp.
  3. Take out Angler Turtle: Angler Turtle is next on the report's cut list. Works with 3 other cards: with 3 again and again. Put in The Mind Stone: Ramp: you were 3 short; The Mind Stone counts as ramp.
  4. Take out Hedron Archive: Hedron Archive also does card draw, and doesn't make white and blue, which the deck is short of for its spells. Put in Khalni Gem: Khalni Gem is the same ramp and makes white and blue, which the deck is short of for its spells, but does not do card draw.
  5. Take out Sky Diamond: Sky Diamond doesn't make white, which the deck is short of for its spells. Put in Star Compass: Star Compass is the same ramp and makes white, which the deck is short of for its spells.

Cards that work together

  1. Take out Vow of Duty: Vow of Duty works with no other card in this deck; Iron Man, Armored Avenger works with 23 cards, 19 of them on it, and with your commander. Put in Iron Man, Armored Avenger: While you control Iron Man, Armored Avenger, Aven Gagglemaster counts it and gains more life

Upgrades at bracket 3

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

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

Its cards work together a little more: synergy 2.1 → 2.5 of 5, still developing. It is a little more consistent: Build 4.7 → 5.0 of 5, still on target; no longer short on ramp. That is what this page measures: how well the deck holds together, not how strong it is.

Lands

  1. Take out Coastal Tower: Coastal Tower enters tapped. Put in Hallowed Fountain: Hallowed Fountain never enters tapped and makes white or blue.
  2. Take out Meandering River: Meandering River enters tapped. Put in Mystic Gate: Mystic Gate never enters tapped and makes white or blue.
  3. Take out Port Town: Port Town enters tapped. Put in Sea of Clouds: Sea of Clouds never enters tapped and makes white or blue.
  4. Take out Sejiri Refuge: Sejiri Refuge enters tapped. Put in Skycloud Expanse: Skycloud Expanse never enters tapped and makes white or blue.
  5. Take out Temple of Enlightenment: Temple of Enlightenment enters tapped. Put in Tundra: Tundra never enters tapped and makes white or blue.
  6. Take out Tranquil Cove: Tranquil Cove enters tapped. Put in Deserted Beach: Deserted Beach enters tapped less often and makes white or blue.

Ramp

  1. Take out Rally of Wings: Rally of Wings is next on the report's cut list. Its only links come from cards that make others cheaper, or easier to find or bring back. Put in Phial of Galadriel: Ramp: you were 3 short; Phial of Galadriel counts as ramp. When Windreader Sphinx makes a player draw a card, Phial of Galadriel draws you 2 cards.
  2. Take out Condemn: Condemn is next on the report's cut list. Its only links come from cards that make others cheaper, or easier to find or bring back. Put in Fellwar Stone: Ramp: you were 3 short; Fellwar Stone counts as ramp.
  3. Take out Angler Turtle: Angler Turtle is next on the report's cut list. Works with 3 other cards: with 3 again and again. Put in The Mind Stone: Ramp: you were 3 short; The Mind Stone counts as ramp.
  4. Take out Hedron Archive: Hedron Archive also does card draw, and doesn't make white and blue, which the deck is short of for its spells. Put in Khalni Gem: Khalni Gem is the same ramp and makes white and blue, which the deck is short of for its spells, but does not do card draw.
  5. Take out Sky Diamond: Sky Diamond is weaker ramp than Smothering Tithe. Put in Smothering Tithe: Smothering Tithe is ramp too, and one of the strongest cards in Commander: a Game Changer, which this bracket allows.
  6. Take out Arcane Signet: Arcane Signet is weaker ramp than Chrome Mox. Put in Chrome Mox: Chrome Mox is ramp too, and one of the strongest cards in Commander: a Game Changer, which this bracket allows.
  7. Take out Azorius Signet: Azorius Signet is weaker ramp than Mana Vault. Put in Mana Vault: Mana Vault is ramp too, and one of the strongest cards in Commander: a Game Changer, which this bracket allows.

Cards that work together

  1. Take out Vow of Duty: Vow of Duty works with no other card in this deck; Iron Man, Armored Avenger works with 23 cards, 19 of them on it, and with your commander. Put in Iron Man, Armored Avenger: While you control Iron Man, Armored Avenger, Aven Gagglemaster counts it and gains more life

Upgrades at bracket 4–5

No limits on Game Changers or combos.

21 swaps, and after them the report reads the deck at bracket 4–5.

Its cards work together a little more: synergy 2.1 → 2.5 of 5, still developing. It is a little more consistent: Build 4.7 → 5.0 of 5, still on target; no longer short on ramp. That is what this page measures: how well the deck holds together, not how strong it is.

Lands

  1. Take out Coastal Tower: Coastal Tower enters tapped. Put in Hallowed Fountain: Hallowed Fountain never enters tapped and makes white or blue.
  2. Take out Meandering River: Meandering River enters tapped. Put in Mystic Gate: Mystic Gate never enters tapped and makes white or blue.
  3. Take out Port Town: Port Town enters tapped. Put in Sea of Clouds: Sea of Clouds never enters tapped and makes white or blue.
  4. Take out Sejiri Refuge: Sejiri Refuge enters tapped. Put in Skycloud Expanse: Skycloud Expanse never enters tapped and makes white or blue.
  5. Take out Temple of Enlightenment: Temple of Enlightenment enters tapped. Put in Tundra: Tundra never enters tapped and makes white or blue.
  6. Take out Tranquil Cove: Tranquil Cove enters tapped. Put in Deserted Beach: Deserted Beach enters tapped less often and makes white or blue.

Ramp

  1. Take out Rally of Wings: Rally of Wings is next on the report's cut list. Its only links come from cards that make others cheaper, or easier to find or bring back. Put in Phial of Galadriel: Ramp: you were 3 short; Phial of Galadriel counts as ramp. When Windreader Sphinx makes a player draw a card, Phial of Galadriel draws you 2 cards.
  2. Take out Condemn: Condemn is next on the report's cut list. Its only links come from cards that make others cheaper, or easier to find or bring back. Put in Fellwar Stone: Ramp: you were 3 short; Fellwar Stone counts as ramp.
  3. Take out Angler Turtle: Angler Turtle is next on the report's cut list. Works with 3 other cards: with 3 again and again. Put in The Mind Stone: Ramp: you were 3 short; The Mind Stone counts as ramp.
  4. Take out Hedron Archive: Hedron Archive also does card draw, and doesn't make white and blue, which the deck is short of for its spells. Put in Khalni Gem: Khalni Gem is the same ramp and makes white and blue, which the deck is short of for its spells, but does not do card draw.
  5. Take out Sky Diamond: Sky Diamond is weaker ramp than Smothering Tithe. Put in Smothering Tithe: Smothering Tithe is ramp too, and one of the strongest cards in Commander: a Game Changer, which this bracket allows.
  6. Take out Arcane Signet: Arcane Signet is weaker ramp than Chrome Mox. Put in Chrome Mox: Chrome Mox is ramp too, and one of the strongest cards in Commander: a Game Changer, which this bracket allows.
  7. Take out Azorius Signet: Azorius Signet is weaker ramp than Mana Vault. Put in Mana Vault: Mana Vault is ramp too, and one of the strongest cards in Commander: a Game Changer, which this bracket allows.
  8. Take out Talisman of Progress: Talisman of Progress is weaker ramp than Mox Diamond. Put in Mox Diamond: Mox Diamond is ramp too, and one of the strongest cards in Commander: a Game Changer, which this bracket allows.
  9. Take out Thought Vessel: Thought Vessel is weaker ramp than Grim Monolith. Put in Grim Monolith: Grim Monolith is ramp too, and one of the strongest cards in Commander: a Game Changer, which this bracket allows.

Card advantage

  1. Take out Bident of Thassa: Bident of Thassa is weaker card draw than Rhystic Study. Put in Rhystic Study: Rhystic Study is card draw too, and one of the strongest cards in Commander: a Game Changer, which this bracket allows.
  2. Take out Ever-Watching Threshold: Ever-Watching Threshold is weaker card draw than The One Ring. Put in The One Ring: The One Ring is card draw too, and one of the strongest cards in Commander: a Game Changer, which this bracket allows.

Interaction

  1. Take out Absorb: Absorb is weaker counterspell than Force of Will. Put in Force of Will: Force of Will is counterspell too, and one of the strongest cards in Commander: a Game Changer, which this bracket allows.
  2. Take out Negate: Negate is weaker counterspell than Fierce Guardianship. Put in Fierce Guardianship: Fierce Guardianship is counterspell too, and one of the strongest cards in Commander: a Game Changer, which this bracket allows.

Board wipes

  1. Take out Aetherize: Aetherize 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 Vow of Duty: Vow of Duty works with no other card in this deck; Iron Man, Armored Avenger works with 23 cards, 19 of them on it, and with your commander. Put in Iron Man, Armored Avenger: While you control Iron Man, Armored Avenger, Aven Gagglemaster counts it and gains more life

Also short, against a typical Commander deck: ramp 10 of 13.

The decklist

Creatures

Angler Turtle · Archon of Redemption · Aven Gagglemaster · Cartographer's Hawk · Cloudblazer · Diluvian Primordial · Emeria Angel · Empyrean Eagle · Faerie Formation · Hanged Executioner · Inspired Sphinx · Jubilant Skybonder · Kangee, Sky Warden · Kangee's Lieutenant · Pilgrim's Eye · Remorseful Cleric · Sephara, Sky's Blade · Sharding Sphinx · Skycat Sovereign · Skyscanner · Sphinx of Enlightenment · Steel-Plume Marshal · Thunderclap Wyvern · Tide Skimmer · Warden of Evos Isle · Windreader Sphinx

Planeswalkers

Gideon Jura

Instants and sorceries

Absorb · Aetherize · Cleansing Nova · Condemn · Counterspell · Crush Contraband · Disenchant · Generous Gift · Migratory Route · Negate · Rally of Wings · Sphinx's Revelation · Storm Herd · Swords to Plowshares · Time Wipe · Winged Words

Artifacts and enchantments

Arcane Signet · Azorius Signet · Banishing Light · Bident of Thassa · Commander's Sphere · Ever-Watching Threshold · Favorable Winds · Gravitational Shift · Hedron Archive · Sky Diamond · Sol Ring · Soul Snare · Staggering Insight · Talisman of Progress · Thought Vessel · True Conviction · Vow of Duty

Lands

Coastal Tower · Command Tower · 15 Island · Meandering River · Moorland Haunt · 15 Plains · Port Town · Prairie Stream · Sejiri Refuge · Temple of Enlightenment · Tranquil Cove

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