Jeskai Partner Commander deck; Bruse Tarl and Ishai, Ojutai Dragonspeaker

Hey, Steemit! I am back, and this time, it’s a real return. Dark Pinup has been my priority for the last 8 months of my life and in previous blog posts, I’ve told you all how close Hive account@wcpublishing and I have been to being done. The last couple of weeks, there’s been a little more to finish than we originally estimated. Hive account@wcpublishing even made it back to the Twin Cities last weekend to wrap up chapters and credit pages […you’d be shocked at how much work goes in to that alone with nearly 100 models]. I can say now, though, we are done in it’s entirety and the book looks incredible. I cannot wait until I have a copy in my hands!

With the book off to the printer, I can let out an almost year long breath of accumulated tension and focus on anything else. Magic: The Gathering is going to be have it’s reckoning since I’ve missed so much game play and leisure time […especially during the last few months winding down to deadline]. I’ve been tinkering with a new Commander deck, and that’s what you’re going to get tonight. That’s right. A Magic: The Gathering post, and you’re all going to upvote it any way because I provide Steemit with an abundance of beautiful models in vintage lingerie, and the occasional MTG post is the price you must pay! Nothing’s free! :P

In the past, I’ve done really comprehensive deck lists with patronizing names like “King of the Assholes" in Magic: The Gathering EDH/Commander format!” […which believe it or not, this deck just upped the asshole after a few recent purchases at Lotus Vault]. This one isn’t that, really. The deck I’m sharing today is still a work in progress. it’s Jeskai [red, white and blue], aggro-control-spell flinger, if that’s a thing. I originally planned on building an awful land destruction deck that incorporated Winter Orb and Icy Manipulator. The combo and mechanic worked once on Hive account@tarotbyfergus, and it was so awful I decided I didn’t want to do that any more.

It evolved, keeping many of the counter spells, and replacing land destruction cards with instant and sorceries that remove creatures and artifacts or allow card draws. Creatures almost all have mechanics that allow for interaction with instants and sorceries in graveyards, such as Bloodwater Entity, Wildfire Eternal and Torrential Gearhulk. Spells like Spellwine or Mizzix Mastery gets me a little more mileage from the spells that were already cast, especially for kill shots like Cyclonic Rift and Polymorph’s Jest, but the real magic […pardon the pun] is the Commanders […yes, plural]. 

I stumbled across a mechanic within EDH called “Partners”. Partners allows you to do just that, with another commander that shares the partner ability in their card text. The rule states you can have two Commanders and build a deck according to both their color identities. Hive account@tarotbyfergus said he’d heard of it, but no one within our Hive account@caffetto group has ever utilized the mechanic. After much deliberation, I decided on Bruse Tarl, Boorish Hearder and Ishai, Ojutai Dragonspeaker.  

Ishai, Ojutai Dragonspeaker is a 1/1 cast for four [Island and Plains], and in my early experience, isn’t countered […this is key, because Bruse Tarl is far more menacing of a problem and counter spells and removal and are often reserved for him]. Ishai, Ojutai Dragonspeaker gains a +1/+1 for every spell your opponents cast, though. Within a few turns, Ishai is a problem. Usually a 4/4 or 5/5 flyer and when Bruse Tarl, Boorish Header is cast, he gives target creature you control double strike and lifelink. It is shocking how quickly your opponents are dealing with 10 damage from a flying creature and you’re gaining 10 life. Side-note, Bruse Tarl gives target creature double strike and lifelink every damn time he attacks! Add a Whispersilk Cloak and watch your opponents scramble for board wipes. 

For days, this Jeskai Parnter Commander deck rolled through our Caffetto circle, amassing victories over all other decks, until it hit a wall against Hive account@tarotbyfergus’ dumb ass Nicol Bolas planeswalker deck. You can [….but probably shouldn’t] read his recent post “Bane of @kommienezuspadt MTG Commander Deck” to get some back story. It was actually causing me nightmares after several days of losses, but, as it turns out…his entire deck […which is really stupid] is broken by one, single card. The Immortal Sun, from Rivals of Ixalan. The most satisfying thing all week […other than finishing the book] was hearing him say in disbelief “…that cannot happen ever again!”. I’ll elaborate on the Bolas killer later this week, but for now, I have so much sleep to catch up on. 

Thanks for reading and bearing with me on the sporadic post schedule with both my west coast work-cation trip, and the final weeks of book production. You guys are the best and I miss you all! I’ll be posting nightly going forward, so follow me for more Magic: The Gathering, photography, art and illustration.