Cassidy Silver
6/28/2012 10:38:00 AM
Hey, everyone! Hard to believe it was only a year ago that I wrote my first piece for TCGplayer.com, a review of the Counterpunch Commander Pre-con deck that would lead to my first article the next week, and eventually my current column, Fat Stacks. It's been a crazy year, leading to multiple appearances on my favorite podcast, Commandercast, and the development of my own podcast Off Color Cast with cohost Calvin ‘Captain Red Zone' Russell and founder Christian Renoe, whose internet handle shall remain nameless for the sake of good taste. I've made tons of friends in the commander world, and I have Fat Stacks to thank for it.

Enough of that, let's get to this week's article, am I right? Internet Superstud Andrew Magrini and I were working on a Nin, the Pain Artist collaboration for this week, but I had a little problem with timing, so that will be coming next week, probably. (Big smile!)

In the spirit of this momentous occasion, I am going to look back over the year's worth of generals, and see which ones are still my favorites. So, I made a list of my top ten commanders, along with an entry about why they are awesome, and what cards make them awesome. Without further ado, number ten!

High Mid Low

Edric, Spymaster of Trest

$6.97

$4.15

$3.39

Store QTY Price   Central Indy Games 1 $3.39 Mythic Realm 1 $3.50 Phoenix Games Inc 1 $3.75 Perfect Storm MtG 1 $3.76 XtremeGames 1 $3.78 Alter Reality Games 1 $3.78 Gamers Den 2 $3.78 Pastimes 1 $3.79 Amazing Discoveries 4 $3.86 >> View all Prices for Edric, Spymaster of Trest << Store.TCGplayer.com allows you to buy cards from any of our vendors, all at the same time! Shop, Compare & Save with TCGplayer.com! - [Store FAQ]

10) Edric, Spymaster of Trest: I built Edric a long time ago, as part of the original set of reviews I did on the Commander products. At the time, he was getting a lot of hype, but no one knew the powerhouse he would turn into over in the 1v1 EDH scene. I just thought he was a badass, and I built him a janky Pirate / Rogue / Ninja deck for some good times. Since then, Edric has evolved to be synonymous with fast-paced aggression, and I have both played, and played against, tons of different builds for him. Edric also stands out from the other generals in his color identity, most notably Experiment Kraj and Momir Vig, Simic Visionary, who are more adept at combo and/or control. Pretty much any creature with evasion is good in an Edric deck, like a Cloud of Faeries, or Silhana Ledgewalker, and I have found that cards like Nature's Will or Coastal Piracy will help add more depth to the aggro. Play a good amount of efficient creature with some cheap color staples, and you have a fine Edric deck.

High Mid Low

Darien, King of Kjeldor

$5.97

$3.59

$2.38

Store QTY Price   Pwnage Games 1 $2.38 Game Headquarters 1 $2.83 ModernMagic 1 $3.00 Mythic Realm 1 $3.06 TCGWarehouse 1 $3.10 HotsauceGames 2 $3.14 Imaginarium Games 1 $3.33 War Torn Front 1 $3.34 BuyItNowMTG 2 $3.46 >> View all Prices for Darien, King of Kjeldor << Store.TCGplayer.com allows you to buy cards from any of our vendors, all at the same time! Shop, Compare & Save with TCGplayer.com! - [Store FAQ]

9) Darien, King of Kjeldor: I have actually had a Darien deck for a while, long before Andrew Magrini and I collaborated on Darien back in April. There are many reasons to build a Darien deck, but the most important to me is the thematic flavor available to building a deck around a king. I also like the fact that he can repurpose many sup-par cards like City of Brass and Tarnished Citadel into token generators. Remarkably, in Darien I found a place to use the trio of Empire cards from M12, which was as much a personal victory as it was a stretch to actually use. There are plenty of different ways to play Darien, especially since mono-white can lend itself as easily to aggro as it can to tokens and control. The one gripe I have about Darien, and the main reason he is only at number nine, is the fact that Soldier Tokens are still not humans, and I cannot, therefore, make a legit human theme deck. I know I've complained about it before, but I don't get why there are goblin and kithkin soldier tokens, but not a single human one. What gives? Are you really trying to say the guys on Timely Reinforcements aren't human? Anyways, Darien is cool, fun, and epic, making him a great choice for any mono-white commander.

High Mid Low

Captain Sisay

$3.99

$2.41

$1.97

Store QTY Price   Geeks MTG 1 $1.97 TCGWarehouse 1 $2.02 IDeal808 9 $2.05 TCGWarehouse 1 $2.10 Phoenix Games Inc 3 $2.13 Time Vault Games 1 $2.18 Phoenix Games Inc 2 $2.24 Top Deck Hobbies 1 $2.25 Stone Leaf 1 $2.27 >> View all Prices for Captain Sisay << Store.TCGplayer.com allows you to buy cards from any of our vendors, all at the same time! Shop, Compare & Save with TCGplayer.com! - [Store FAQ]

8) Captain Sisay: Unlike the choices on this list, I've never actually written about Captain Sisay, although I almost did. I played Sisay for a while, but it was so much more powerful than the other decks I was playing against at the time, (and by powerful I mean reliable, mostly,) that I scrapped it and moved on. Still, Sisay is kind of like the one that got away, and I am sure she will grace the pages of Fat Stacks sooner or later. The reason I like Sisay is the versatility of her ability – there are plenty of different legends to choose from in the GW slice of the pie, and you could really go with any number of strategies, like Gaddock Teeg and Hokori, Dust Drinker, or the savage combo of Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite, and Kamahl, Fist of Krosa. The thing is, Sisay will still be doing the exact same things every game, meaning tutoring up legends, and the myriad of possible plays means that opponents will have to be wary of even the most de-fanged Sisay build.

High Mid Low

Glissa, the Traitor

$3.08

$1.50

$0.89

Store QTY Price   Olympus House 1 $0.89 MTG Walker 1 $0.89 The End Zone 4 $1.15 Multiverse Gaming 1 $1.19 Static Age Games 1 $1.19 aardvarkgames 1 $1.25 Static Age Games 1 $1.25 On The Stack Games 9 $1.28 Geeks MTG 3 $1.29 >> View all Prices for Glissa, the Traitor << Store.TCGplayer.com allows you to buy cards from any of our vendors, all at the same time! Shop, Compare & Save with TCGplayer.com! - [Store FAQ]

7) Glissa, the Traitor: Glissa is another example of a general that most players are trained to be wary of. When I built with her, it was in one of my Standard Commander decks, a series I do every once in a while. Although the deck was fun, and moderately powerful in its own respect because of its myr sub-theme, the Glissa deck I am most familiar with is the one my brother ran for about eight months. Similar to most strong Glissa decks, it relied on control, in combination with Glissa's recursion ability, to put a Mindslaver lock on opponents. Other cards that are commonly associated with Glissa are Executioner's Capsule and Ratchet Bomb, or any card that will basically recur themselves to hand with Glissa in play by killing creatures. I really like Forbidden Orchard in Glissa, since it can make plenty of creatures for opponents, especially important for a Mindslaver lock. One last thing about Glissa – she is probably one of the most aggressively costed creatures in existence, mostly due to her combination of death touch and first strike. I highly recommend Glissa for anyone who wants to make a very strong deck without breaking the bank, but, like Captain Sisay, she is on the long list of hate-bearing commanders.

High Mid Low

Gisela, Blade of Goldnight

$10.08

$7.31

$6.00

Store QTY Price   A Hidden Fortress 9 $6.00 SilvanMTG 1 $6.04 Geeks MTG 1 $6.13 lgs ABCB 1 $6.14 Mythic Realm 2 $6.23 Hammer Hall Gaming 1 $6.28 ChannelFireball 5 $6.29 Phoenix Games Inc 2 $6.41 Geeks MTG 1 $6.45 >> View all Prices for Gisela, Blade of Goldnight << Store.TCGplayer.com allows you to buy cards from any of our vendors, all at the same time! Shop, Compare & Save with TCGplayer.com! - [Store FAQ]

6) Gisela, Blade of Goldnight: I wrote about Gisela not too long ago, so I haven't had nearly as many games with her as I have with the others on this list. My original idea of doubling everything up with a combination of Relentless Assault, Furnace of Rath, and double strike effects hasn't changed much, nor has the list. The main issue with Gisela is her high mana cost, but besides that, she is easily the best boros general available, with Brion Stoutarm as a mid-range second. To be honest, I have used Gisela more in Ruhan than I have in her own deck, but that doesn't mean her deck isn't one of my favorites.

High Mid Low

Karador, Ghost Chieftain

$4.99

$1.75

$0.80

Store QTY Price   Capitol Cards 1 $0.80 Phyrexian Games 1 $1.19 On The Stack Games 3 $1.31 TJ Collectibles 8 $1.34 The Counterspell 1 $1.38 Millennium Games 1 $1.38 Miniature Exchange 2 $1.42 Big Kidz Games LLC 1 $1.43 Millennium Games 1 $1.45 >> View all Prices for Karador, Ghost Chieftain << Store.TCGplayer.com allows you to buy cards from any of our vendors, all at the same time! Shop, Compare & Save with TCGplayer.com! - [Store FAQ]

5) Karador, Ghost Chieftain: I presented an updated version of my Karador deck a month ago, but since then, I have come to realize the list is a bit heavy handed, and I removed cards like Terastodon, Avenger of Zendikar, and Regal Force from it, in favor of spot removal and ramp. The reason I choose Karador over other reanimator generals like Sedris, the Traitor King is the GWB color identity, which is pretty much my favorite three-color combination. I like to play Karador a little more mid-rangey, focusing on maintaining a strong board position with constant recursion of Karmic Guide effects to bring back a big fattie, rather than swingy Living Death plays that are more powerful, but also more vulnerable to a Bojuka Bog. Karador is such a powerful card that there is really no bad way to build him, and you can focus as much or as little on reanimation as you like.

High Mid Low

Kaervek the Merciless

$1.26

$0.68

$0.48

Store QTY Price   BuyItNowMTG 1 $0.48 BuyItNowMTG 1 $0.48 Lucky's Card Shop 2 $0.49 Comic Asylum 8 $0.49 TCGWarehouse 3 $0.50 TCGWarehouse 1 $0.53 SlackMTG 1 $0.55 MTGTitan 6 $0.57 On The Stack Games 4 $0.57 >> View all Prices for Kaervek the Merciless << Store.TCGplayer.com allows you to buy cards from any of our vendors, all at the same time! Shop, Compare & Save with TCGplayer.com! - [Store FAQ]

4) Kaervek the Merciless: I wrote about Kaervek back when Dark Ascension came out, when I updated my Olivia Voldaren deck. There are a lot of ways to build Kaervek, but I think the best is the ‘group slug' archetype, (a more violent variant of traditional ‘group hug' decks,) so that's what I built. The deck is actually fairly tricky to play correctly, and I am finding more and more players who know the pain of playing against Kaervek. The basic idea is to flood the opponents' hands with Font of Mythos and Temple Bell, putting pressure on the opponent to cast spells with Kaervek in play, lest they have to discard. Combine this with incremental damage with Spiteful Visions, Underworld Dreams, and Iron Maiden, along with Drain Life, and the newly minted Exquisite Blood to keep the life-total up. Kaervek does have some major flaws, including his high-casting cost and his nasty demeanor, but he always creates interesting games of party collusion and Political Trickery. I have been playing this deck a lot lately, so expect an update soon, probably with the release of M13 in July.

High Mid Low

Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker

$34.99

$29.20

$27.49

Store QTY Price   Top Deck Hobbies 1 $27.49 Lucky's Card Shop 1 $27.85 Magical Ogre 1 $27.99 Alter Reality Games 2 $28.29 Legit MTG 1 $28.49 IDeal808 6 $28.75 MTG Deals 12 $28.83 MuGu Games 1 $28.83 The Gaming Pit 2 $28.98 >> View all Prices for Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker << Store.TCGplayer.com allows you to buy cards from any of our vendors, all at the same time! Shop, Compare & Save with TCGplayer.com! - [Store FAQ]

3) Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker: When it comes to mono-red decks, Kiki-Jiki is definitely my go-to gobbo for the job(bo?). It probably helps that Kiki-Jiki is not only my favorite red general, but also my favorite red card, in general. My article on Kiki-Jiki that I wrote back in August, 2011, (which happens to be my favorite article,) was about a goblin tribal deck, but the skies are the limits with this little guy. You get to pull out insane plays with Inferno Titan copies, or you faux-fog opponents with Shrieking Mogg or Thundermare. Basically, any creature that does something when it enters the battlefield, attacks, or dies is good in a Kiki-Jiki deck. Kiki-Jiki is almost the most commonly found legend in other EDH decks as well, raising the amount of good copy targets exponentially. Of most interest is UR decks that feature old Kiki, because they are probably trying to combo off with Pestermite shenanigans. I think his ubiquity makes him another one of those easy targets we were talking about, and has probably annoyed more than a few players out there.

High Mid Low

Ruhan of the Fomori

$2.05

$0.96

$0.62

Store QTY Price   TheManaCrypt 1 $0.62 BattleZone Games 1 $0.71 TJ Collectibles 8 $0.71 Legit MTG 2 $0.74 CoreTCG 5 $0.75 BattleZone Games 8 $0.75 SlackMTG 2 $0.77 Mythic Realm 1 $0.79 Deck Factory 1 $0.79 >> View all Prices for Ruhan of the Fomori << Store.TCGplayer.com allows you to buy cards from any of our vendors, all at the same time! Shop, Compare & Save with TCGplayer.com! - [Store FAQ]

2) Ruhan of the Fomori: ARRRRRRRRRRRRGHH! RUHAN SMASH! That pretty much sums up why I love Ruhan - he smashes face so fast. I have actually grown pretty attached to the RWU color identity, and this factor weighs heavily on me when I go to play the Gisela deck I mentioned above. Why just play Gisela's colors, when I can also play with Drogskol Reaver and Sovereign of Alara? Ruhan first appeared in my articles in last year's review of the Commander pre-cons, and reappeared when I did a primer on the voltron strategy. I still think the best way to play Ruhan is a voltron deck that focuses on winning with general damage as fast as possible, backed up by some of the finishers like the two I mentioned above, as well as Sun Titan and Gisela. Ruhan is much stronger in 1v1 games, where his random attack ability only really forces him to attack each turn, but his randomness in larger games makes him more endearing, and less threatening, to the rest of the table, meaning that we will probably face less resistance to developing a winning game state. The reason Ruhan made number two is the simplicity of the build, as well as the straight-forward strategy. It doesn't take much thought to play, which is always nice, and the in-game choices are usually pretty obvious.

High Mid Low

Omnath, Locus of Mana

$5.38

$4.15

$3.94

Store QTY Price   Phoenix Games Inc 3 $3.94 Dogs of War Gaming 3 $4.03 MuGu Games 2 $4.11 Time Vault Games 1 $4.12 IDeal808 8 $4.15 TCGWarehouse 1 $4.15 Perfect Storm MtG 1 $4.30 Amazing Discoveries 2 $4.35 XtremeGames 1 $4.48 >> View all Prices for Omnath, Locus of Mana << Store.TCGplayer.com allows you to buy cards from any of our vendors, all at the same time! Shop, Compare & Save with TCGplayer.com! - [Store FAQ]

1) Omnath, Locus of Mana: Yeah, I bet no one is surprised the ‘Nath is number one on my list. He is my most powerful general, and is the most fun for me to play. A lot of people are haters, but that's just how it is when you are number one. Anyways, Omnath appeared for the first time my follow-up to the pre-con reviews I did, and even after all these months, the deck has barely changed, which can be seen in last month's article, where I revisited my Omnath deck. I mean, new cards came out, like Lost in the Woods, or the soon to be added Yeva from M13, but I still tend to play it low-key in the early game, especially against players I don't know that well, and there is a hefty portion of the build dedicated to control cards like Karn Liberated, or my personal favorite, Tawnos's Coffin. I pretty much play Omnath whenever I feel like winning, especially if someone at the table is being a ****, and I want to Crush them without breaking my brain. There are plenty of other ways to build Omnath, like a turbo-ramp deck, or a voltron deck, but I am pretty fond of my little deck.

Well, that was my top ten favorite generals, what are your guys' top ten faves?

Check back next week for two separate Nin, the Pain Artist decks, and thanks for reading!

Cassidy Silver
@writerofwrong