Archidekt Deckbuilding Contest - July 2026

{"ops":[{"insert":"Hello, and welcome to July's Archidekt Deckbuilding Contest.\n\nThis is a monthly contest (if you ignore May) with a different theme each month. The goal is to build a Commander-legal deck that fulfills the prompt in a creative or unique fashion, and at the end of each month, three finalists will be selected for you to vote on. Whoever gets the most votes will be crowned the winner, although all three finalists will receive a prize.\n\n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"July's challenge is to brew a creative and interesting commander-legal deck featuring a weird mana curve that's relevant to the deck's game plan."},{"attributes":{"header":3},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nWhat does \"weird mana curve\" mean? Well that's kind of up to you to define, but at the very least it should be one that doesn't resemble the standard best practices bell-shaped curve. This should be an innovate, noval and attention-getting take on a deck where the odd curve is part of what the deck is trying to do.\n\nWhat’s the Contest All About?"},{"attributes":{"header":2},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nWorking within the parameters of the provided prompt, construct a deck list with your own creative and compelling spin. Three chosen finalists will be awarded "},{"attributes":{"link":"https://www.cardsphere.com/?utm_source=edhrec"},"insert":"store credit to use on Cardsphere"},{"insert":".\n\nFor July's deck building contest - Build a unique, different take on a Commander-legal deck using a weird mana curve relevant to the deck's plan.\n\nDecks will be judged on the creativity and originality of their brew. For example, Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker decks oftentimes have less of a curve and more of a flat plane as the deck skews heavily toward one-drops, but since that's the dominant build for the commander it's probably not going to cut it for the purposes of this contest.\n\nFor more details about the prompt, check out "},{"attributes":{"link":"https://edhrec.com/articles/archidekt-deckbuilding-contest-july-2026"},"insert":"the full announcement article"},{"insert":" over on EDHREC!\n\nHow To Participate"},{"attributes":{"header":2},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\n Brew an EDH/Commander legal deck on Archidekt that satisfies the prompt."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":" Any unreleased cards spoiled during the contest's duration are allowed."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":" Silver-bordered and acorn cards, while cool, are not allowed."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":" Digital-only cards (such as those designed for the Alchemy format on Arena) are not allowed even if they manage to violate the laws of space and time and manage to be first printed prior to 2010."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":" Strictly one deck submitted per user."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nTo submit a deck, select the orange button labeled \"Submit a deck to this contest\" and follow the form prompt. Submissions are accepted until "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"9:00 pm EDT"},{"insert":" (UTC -4, currently) on "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Wednesday, July 8 2026"},{"insert":".\n\nThere's also a new easy-to-remember landing page for anything contest related that can be found at "},{"attributes":{"link":"https://archidekt.com/contest?utm_source=edhrec"},"insert":"archidekt.com/contest"},{"insert":" and you can comment on individual decks directly from the submission.\n\nOnly one submission per user! If you change your mind and want to submit a different deck before submissions close, you may do so by first deleting your submission. To edit your description, you can do so from the deck page itself. From the eligible submissions, we'll select three finalists with lists that we believe best embody the spirit of the prompt. \n\nDeck descriptions are now going to be important moving forward. Every month this contest gets larger, which is fantastic, but it also makes evaluating decks more and more time-consuming. If you don't have a decent description we're doing to find ourselves less willing to try and connect the dots about what the deck is doing as time just doesn't allow it.\n\nOn "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Wednesday, July 15 2026,"},{"insert":" we’ll announce three finalists via the Archidekt Discord and a brief article on EDHREC highlighting each deck.\n\n"},{"attributes":{"link":"https://www.cardsphere.com/sets?utm_source=edhrec"},"insert":"Each finalist will be awarded credit on cardsphere.com"},{"insert":". The value of the credit is in US dollars and depends on the finalist's placement in deck upvotes at the end of the week-long polling period:\n 1st Place Prize - $250"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":" 2nd Place Prize - $150"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":" 3rd Place Prize - $100"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nFinalists will be contacted via email regarding their winnings within roughly 24 hours following the conclusion of voting on "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Wednesday, July 22 2026"},{"insert":".\n\nPlease note, you must have a Cardsphere account in order to receive your winnings. It's quick and free-- register "},{"attributes":{"link":"https://www.cardsphere.com/signup?referrer=archidekt_contest"},"insert":"here"},{"insert":" if you don't have an account already!\n\nHere are the "},{"attributes":{"link":"https://archidekt.com/contestRules"},"insert":"official contest rules."},{"insert":". If you have any questions, feel free to ask here, or join the "},{"attributes":{"link":"https://discord.gg/rYDFFVCmGr"},"insert":"Archidekt public Discord server"},{"insert":". We look forward to seeing what you all come up with!\n"}]}