{"ops":[{"insert":"This deck places "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Animar, Soul of Elements"}},{"insert":" in the backseat and gives the original alternate commander "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Surrak Dragonclaw"}},{"insert":" a chance to shine. Its path to victory is through a near-entire-creature strategy, where each creature comes with powerful abilities and (we hope) enough utility to handle a variety of game situations.\n\nThere are only four non-creature, non-land cards in the deck, and all relate directly to creatures - "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Domri Rade"}},{"insert":" , "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Sarkhan Unbroken"}},{"insert":" , "},{"insert":{"card-link":"See the Unwritten"}},{"insert":" , and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Lurking Predators"}},{"insert":" . Everything else in the deck benefits from trample. \n\nBeyond combat damage, you can win through burn ("},{"insert":{"card-link":"Ruric Thar, the Unbowed"}},{"insert":" and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Magmatic Force"}},{"insert":" top out the curve), with an outside chance that "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Shaman of Forgotten Ways"}},{"insert":" could steal a victory. \n\nYour utility runs across the entire board - you can remove artifacts and enchantments near-effortlessly, fight or steal or destroy lesser creatures with impunity, remove graveyards repeatedly, and counter the worst spells you encounter. The draw is very strong; I’ve scaled back recursion to a single "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Eternal Witness"}},{"insert":" since the deck can adopt an acceptable “next creature up” approach and let the graveyard sit where it is. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Deadeye Navigator"}},{"insert":" can be either adorable ("},{"insert":{"card-link":"Man-o'-War"}},{"insert":" ) or oppressive ("},{"insert":{"card-link":"Etali, Primal Conqueror // Etali, Primal Sickness"}},{"insert":" ). \n\nAll that said, the deck has probably lost ground against a worldwide Commander environment where preconstructed decks have only gotten stronger since the days of Animar. The deck is more of a novelty than an inevitability, and you can (and should) adjust the creatures in the deck to your own metagame.\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"}]}