{"ops":[{"insert":"[99 cards, determining an open slot candidate]\n\nI don’t expect experienced players to see too much here. The deck features a well-known combo with "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Sage of Hours"}},{"insert":" (once you’re at five experience counters and have both Sage and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Ezuri, Claw of Progress"}},{"insert":" on the board, you can achieve as many extra turns as you need to win), and many of the key cards have been famous for a long time ("},{"insert":{"card-link":"Forgotten Ancient"}},{"insert":" , "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Simic Ascendancy"}},{"insert":" , "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Deranged Hermit"}},{"insert":" ). Take note of some fun touches for consideration ("},{"insert":{"card-link":"Wall of Kelp"}},{"insert":" , "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Thousand Winds"}},{"insert":" ) if you like.\n\nFor newer players, a deck like this may help you adopt a more purposeful school of Commander - not one that’s “optimized” or “higher level” - but one that takes advantage of its commander to the fullest and removes all of the “staples” and other distractions that too many content creators are fond of.\n\nThere are only seven non-land, non-creature spells in the deck. Three of those still make a creature. The rest of the non-land cards in the deck triggers the commander. That’s not necessarily “optimized” - it’s a way to give you as much room to be creative with more choices! Amazing things happen when you eschew boring cards like "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Beast Within"}},{"insert":" and bad 1-for-1 choices like "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Counterspell"}},{"insert":" and replace them with on-theme choices that may be slightly less efficient, like "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Winged Coatl"}},{"insert":" and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Voidmage Prodigy"}},{"insert":" , but which will always up your experience counter count. In a deck like this, where experience counters are virtually un-removable, that ratcheting upward can make a critical difference between your deck doing something, or doing nothing.\n\nYes, you’ll find conventional choices like "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Ouroboroid"}},{"insert":" and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Bristly Bill, Spine Sower"}},{"insert":" . But I’ve won more often with a card like"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Patagia Viper"}},{"insert":" , "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Simic Manipulator"}},{"insert":" , "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Elusive Krasis"}},{"insert":" , and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Ranger Class"}},{"insert":" that adds modest value to the table and represents an additional target for Ezuri’s ability.\n\nWhen you play a deck like this against good players, they’ll know to come after Ezuri. (After all, no pile of counters each combat, no real threat.) So there’s a deep pool of protection and countermagic, all based in 2-power (or less) creatures: "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Plaxmanta"}},{"insert":" "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Void Grafter"}},{"insert":" will probably be the ones fewest opponents have ever heard of.\n\nOf all those creatures in the deck, one does enter as higher than 2 power: "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Spike Weaver"}},{"insert":" . The deck is susceptible to counter-strikes, and having a reliable source of combat fog is a valuable tool in the deck. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Soulless Jailer"}},{"insert":" came in to combat a lot of the endless recursion and spell-slinging decks I’ve been seeing more and more. (It stops red impulse draw for non-creature spells.)\n\nStandard strategic approach notes and disclaimer(s) for all my decks:\nI just started (in May 2026) uploading all of my (200+) decks into Archidekt. This is going to be a slow process so if you’re seeing notes that refer to other decks that you can’t find, give me a short moment and I’ll have more stuff up soon."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"I generally aim for high synergy, short of optimization. (Tier 3+, if you track that sort of thing.)"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"I like games that last 8-12 turns and aim to demonstrate the deck’s synergy within that timeframe."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"I prefer to win but don’t relentlessly pursue that goal, because I am an adult who enjoys playing games with friends. So you’ll occasionally see silly cards. Enjoy them!"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"I have 200+ decks and do not want to bore my friends, so my goal is to have NO non-land card in more than 3-4 decks. If you’re wondering why a certain “obvious staple” isn’t in this deck list, that’s probably why."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"I’m continuously updating (each deck gets a look at newer cards every six months) so of course there may be changes around the margins. "},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nThanks for checking out my deck(s). Peace.\n\nAnthony Alongi\nProgenitor of Multiplayer Magic Content Creation\nFormer Columnist for Wizards of the Coast, StarCity Games, The Dojo\nFormer Podcaster (Elder Dragon Statesmen) with the Late, Great Sheldon Menery\n\n"}]}