{"ops":[{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"“Tayam at Home”"},{"insert":" is my relatively affordable, low bracket 4 pastiche of cEDH Tayam strategies. While by competitive standards Tayam is a relatively slow midrange deck, it would be blisteringly fast for the metagame it’s been adapted to. Ultimately, shaving expensive cards – especially game changers – is not only a budgetary move, but an effort to keep the deck’s power level in line.\n\nThe deck operates on a different resource axis than most combo decks. While games tend to end in deterministic combos, getting there is not a streamlined process but a balance of building resources and making pushes. The deck can push wins through interaction – even having shaved most of the Stax pieces that force them through in competitive – because the same pieces that are potentially part of infinites are also some of our value generators.\n\nTayam demands an exceptionally low mana curve, primary made up of permanents. Less than a dozen cards in the deck cannot be recurred by our commander. Large threats, more typical of Green strategies, are simply not an option here. Still, while he’s on the battlefield, we’ll always have somewhere to funnel our mana, at least if we can provide enough counters for his ability’s other cost. Tayam helps with this; once it’s on the battlefield, we’re guaranteed one vigilance counter per creature we enter.\n\nWhile Tayam’s ability can recur permanents of all types, it requires that counters be removed from creatures. This encourages us to run Mana Dorks as our primary source of ramp – each "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Llanowar Elves"}},{"insert":" or equivalent played with Tayam out enters with a vigilance counter, allowing it to pay for a full third of a Tayam activation where a land or rock would not. While the deck rarely cares about going to combat, the additional option to attack with vigilance and then activate abilities and remove the counters at instant speed should not be ignored. Cards like "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Channeler Initiate"}},{"insert":" and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Armored Scrapgorger"}},{"insert":" take this a step further, providing additional counters with their mana at a modest added cost. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Wall of Roots"}},{"insert":" is the best of these, able to generate mana and counters for each player’s turn, while Tayam refreshes its toughness depletion.\n\nStill, diversifying our ramp a little – if only to be able to bring Tayam back from the command zone after a board wipe – is in our best interest. Our ramp being 2 mana or less is important, as a Turn 3 Tayam lets us start adding vigilance counters sooner. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Farseek"}},{"insert":" and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Nature's Lore"}},{"insert":" made the cut for their color fixing and the latter’s immediate value. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Careful Cultivation"}},{"insert":" is an obscure option that I’ve found to be excellent. Its channel effect creates a two-mana dork and sets itself up to be recurred later. On-field, it has a consistent target in Tayam itself, who rarely sees combat and has no tap ability. It is also an enabler for one of our primary combos. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Evendo, Waking Haven"}},{"insert":" is another payoff for our commander not inherently tapping. Tayam’s base 3 power combined with our wide boards can usually station Evendo reasonably quickly.\n\nWith lands in addition to our dorks, we’re looking at more mana than counters, so we run a few strong ways to balance out our Tayam payments. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Icatian Moneychanger"}},{"insert":" provides three counters immediately – a full Tayam activation even if played first – and accrues additional value on subsequent turns. Lorwyn Eclipsed gave us "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Moonshadow"}},{"insert":" , which has an unmatched rate at six counters for one mana, though we have to be wary of her self-removal. Even once depleted, she does good work: blocking, providing rare combat pressure to the deck, or just being station fodder.\n\nEvendo isn’t the only card we can station. We’re also running two spacecraft: "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Larval Scoutlander"}},{"insert":" and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Exploration Broodship"}},{"insert":" . Both of these also ramp, but more importantly, the charge counters we put on them can be removed by Tayam once they become creatures. Broodship is also one of our backup pieces of recursion in case we ever lose access to Tayam.\n\nWe also have a couple of utility lands and enchantments that can provide our creatures with counters. Finding an "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Oran-Rief, the Vastwood"}},{"insert":" with Tayam in the middle of an activation chain can be a great way to refuel. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Gavony Township"}},{"insert":"’s ability is pricey, essentially costing five mana, but sometimes it proves necessary, especially if we have to rebuild in a longer game. The enters effect of "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Abzan Ascendancy"}},{"insert":" is a great counter source; its token generation can be equally valuable to both resource and combo building.\n\nWith that, let’s start looking at our combos. Building with the deck’s counter demand in mind makes "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Carrion Feeder"}},{"insert":" , "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Bloodflow Connoisseur"}},{"insert":" , and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Bartolomé del Presidio"}},{"insert":" choice sac outlets. Wanting to play out of the graveyard, "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Umbral Collar Zealot"}},{"insert":" also made the cut. Last and most powerful is "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Ashnod's Altar"}},{"insert":" ; Tayam’s ability cost is all colorless, so if we can create a sacrifice loop with two creatures that provide a combined three counters, our activations become mana positive. This provides our first infinite combo: Tayam, Ashnod’s Altar, and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Grakmaw, Skyclave Ravager"}},{"insert":" , who provides three counters and an extra body when it dies.\n\nThis simple combo is far from the only use for our sac outlets, but for that, we'll need to look at some other recursive creatures. Undying and Persist creatures can both fuel and be enabled to loop by Tayam; currently this list is playing only the two best: "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Young Wolf"}},{"insert":" is the only one drop among them, and the haste of "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Strangleroot Geist"}},{"insert":" opens up combos that would otherwise require additional enablers. Having both of these creatures in rotation opens up another infinite with Tayam and Ashnod's Altar, as each will re-enter with both a +1/+1 and a vigilance counter after being sacrificed for four mana. The only creature we play that is neither 3 mana or less nor recurs itself, "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Luminous Broodmoth"}},{"insert":", creates a repeatable loop with any sac outlet and either Wolf or Geist; this does generate infinite of whatever resource that sac outlet provides, but needs another piece to actually translate to a win, unlike our combos that actually go through Tayam.\n\nOur remaining Altar combos need another source of bodies or outside mana, leading us to our tokens, and the first of a couple two-card combos the deck carries. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Scurry Oak"}},{"insert":" can combo with Tayam, Ashnod's Altar, and any creature with greater power or toughness, creating additional counters and bodies to sacrifice in each loop while Tayam resets the conditions for Evolve. This card is also part of a well-known two-card infinite with another card that plays well with the rest of the deck: "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Rosie Cotton of South Lane"}},{"insert":". With this, it makes sense to also play another cheaper Rosie Cotton partner, "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Basking Broodscale"}},{"insert":", whose Adapt ability and subsequent token generation also work quite well with our overall gameplan. The extra mana and vigilance counter from the Eldrazi Spawn open up additional combo and general value plays. Finally, Ashnod's Altar and Tayam also go infinite with "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Promise of Bunrei"}},{"insert":"; four tokens generates both enough vigilance counters and more than enough mana for Tayam's effect, who can in turn bring this enchantment back to the battlefield.\n\nThe Altar isn't from our only combo piece that generates mana; we can take advantage of our graveyard recursion and wide boards to open up additional plays with cards like "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Insidious Roots"}},{"insert":". Even limited by summoning sickness, the tokens and counters this generates put us into infinite territory with Tayam, Ashnod's Altar, and either of our Undying creatures. However, the most consistent and accessible scaling mana and combo payoffs for wide boards come from "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Enduring Vitality"}},{"insert":" and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Rishkar, Peema Renegade"}},{"insert":". These \"mana tap enablers\" scale us into longer games with more interaction. Vigilance counters placed by Tayam are fair game for Rishkar's ability, but the extra +1/+1s are still welcome, especially if you put one on Tayam itself to once again give our commander tap utility. With Tayam and Ashnod's Altar, Rishkar enables our secondary infinite for Basking Broodscale. This is also where the haste of Strangleroot Geist comes in - being able to tap it for mana on each entry enables yet another infinite with Ashnod's Altar and Tayam.\n\nOur last set of sacrifice loops require a way to give our makeshift mana dorks haste, for which we have two options. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Tyvar, Jubilant Brawler"}},{"insert":" carries the usual risks of being a planeswalker, but provides virtual haste to our entire board, opening up a bevy of four and five card combos. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Lightning Greaves"}},{"insert":" can do the same job, and being occasional Tayam protection is nice too, but needing to equip at sorcery speed limits when you can perform the combo. With this, Channeler Initiate and Rishkar can immediately tap for mana and provide sufficient counters to be looped with Tayam and our Altar. Any creature that puts at least two extra counters on itself can now be looped with Tayam, the Altar, and the mana tap enablers. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Knight of Autumn"}},{"insert":" shines here: solid in a vacuum, and makes any Tayam infinite provide infinite life and removal for any/all artifacts that could prevent the win. With a mana tap enabler and a haste enabler, Promise of Bunrei also works with any sac outlet, not just Ashnod's Altar.\n\nThis leads nicely into the deck's most powerful and infamous two-card combo enabler, who loves to have haste: "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Devoted Druid"}},{"insert":". Among all of the deck's creatures, this is the one that demands the most immediate answer, as it lacks the recursion of Enduring Vitality or an Undying creature. Ideally, we're looking to win the game on the spot if this hits the board; thus, its need for haste. Tayam's ability to remove the -1/-1 counters from Devoted Druid mean that the two of them form an infinite combo if we can boost the druid's toughness to four (five to be mana positive, though infinite Tayam activations will always get us to that point). For the most part, our Druid enablers are good cards in their own right, though the ease of accessing "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Shield Mate"}},{"insert":" justifies its place. This is also the \"primary combo\" previously mentioned with Careful Cultivation. Primarily, however, we find this effect on our lands. The threshold effect of "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Centaur Garden"}},{"insert":" is cheap, instant, and almost always live. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Hashep Oasis"}},{"insert":" isn't quite as good at a higher cost and sorcery speed, but is unconditional. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Glasswing Grace // Age-Graced Chapel"}},{"insert":" also does the job, though it is unfortunate Tayam cannot recur it.\n\nWe can also bypass Devoted Druid's summoning sickness in other ways, which also make the combo just a little more removal resilient. The druid's most popular pairing, "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Swift Reconfiguration"}},{"insert":", is a true two-card infinite mana combo, and the instant speed aura doubles as pseudo-protection and removal for other targets. You can also hold onto Swift Reconfiguration, threaten a Tayam/Druid combo, and flash in Swift Reconfiguration once creature removal is played. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Apprentice Necromancer"}},{"insert":" may itself need to deal with summoning sickness, but can be played early and wait for the Druid to emerge. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Emperor of Bones"}},{"insert":" has no such limitations, doubling as graveyard removal and general recursion. This is the closest we have to a creature we can tutor to give the druid haste; among creatures Tayam can also recur, the likes of "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Crashing Drawbridge"}},{"insert":" and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Mogis's Marauder"}},{"insert":" just didn't have enough utility outside of this specific interaction. Finally, Druid is one of our best targets to copy with the delirium effect of "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Shifting Woodland"}},{"insert":".\n\nSpeaking of tutors, now that we've looked at all of the deck's general combo lines, we should address how we find them, outside of the mill Tayam itself provides. We can find specific lands with "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Crop Rotation"}},{"insert":" , be that to set up combo and value plays, or just for color fixing. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Aftermath Analyst"}},{"insert":" provides additional mill in addition to its land reclamation effect, and we have a small dredge package with "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Dakmor Salvage"}},{"insert":" , "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Stinkweed Imp"}},{"insert":" , and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Golgari Grave-Troll"}},{"insert":" . The troll is our second and last creature Tayam cannot recur, but we're looking to return it to hand anyways. It can also enter with a substantial number of counters. The deck is light on draw, but "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Hollowmurk Siege"}},{"insert":" is a strong source for the deck. In a pinch we can always sacrifice "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Horizon Canopy"}},{"insert":" and its equivalents, potentially to bring back later. \n\nOf course, we also play a healthy suite of green creature tutors, each of which has different strengths to bring to the table. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Formidable Speaker"}},{"insert":" is perhaps the strongest of all. Being an immediate tutor to hand on ETB allows some extra creative lines; for instance, we can grab one of our sac outlets, immediately clear the Speaker, and recur him for another search. Tutoring to the top of our deck isn't a problem either thanks to Tayam's ability, making "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Elvish Harbinger"}},{"insert":" a good option to grab Druid, Rishkar, or Speaker. Our third and final tutoring elf is "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Fauna Shaman"}},{"insert":" , who suffers summoning sickness in exchange for more straightforward repeatability. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Fiend Artisan"}},{"insert":" instead tutors straight to field, with the added bonuses of being a sac outlet and often carrying strong combat stats. Our last tutor on a permanent is "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Invasion of Ikoria // Zilortha, Apex of Ikoria"}},{"insert":" , which can tutor creatures straight to field without delay. Unfortunately, it can only search "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Dryad Arbor"}},{"insert":" when Tayam brings it out. Finally, we're playing "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Chord of Calling"}},{"insert":", an instant speed tutor that, enabled our wide boards, can be convoked to avoid telegraphing our mana. On the end step prior to our turn, this can flash in a Devoted Druid or other threat, which will then be ready to tap as we start our turn.\n\nPrimer WIP\n"}]}