{"ops":[{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf"},"insert":"General Strategy"},{"attributes":{"header":2},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf"},"insert":"Kotis is a Voltron commander with a twist: it doesn't just want to hit for lethal, it wants to hit at all. Every point of combat damage Kotis lands on a player cracks open the top of "},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf","italic":true},"insert":"their"},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf"},"insert":" library, not yours, and lets you cast anything cheap enough out of that pile for free. A 2/1 body connecting for 2 already nets you two free cards off someone else's deck. A 2/1 wearing three pieces of equipment and connecting for 12 is a full-on Time Warp into their draw step, except you get to keep whatever you want and they lose the rest to exile forever."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf"},"insert":"The tension is exactly what you'd expect from Voltron: you're investing a huge amount of the deck's mana and card slots into keeping one 2-toughness indestructible zombie alive, evasive, and unblocked, and if it dies, gets chump blocked, or gets bounced/exiled/phased before combat damage, that turn produces nothing. Indestructible protects Kotis from removal spells and combat with bigger creatures, but it does nothing against bounce, exile, -X/-X, or just being chump blocked forever, so the deck spends a real chunk of its 99 slots on evasion (flying, unblockable, phasing) and hexproof/protection instead of more payoff. "},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf"},"insert":"The payoff for buying in is that this is one of the few Voltron shells where connecting doesn't just win the game, it also refills your hand, mills your opponent, and chains into a second engine: every enchantment that resolves off a Kotis trigger (or off your own hand) feeds Verduran Enchantress, Setessan Champion, Tanglespan Lookout, Eutropia the Twice-Favored, and Entity Tracker, so the aura package is pulling double duty as both the pump suite and the card draw engine."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf"},"insert":"You shouldn't play this deck if..."},{"attributes":{"header":2},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf"},"insert":"You want a commander that's still doing something when it's sitting in the command zone. Kotis does nothing unless it's on the battlefield, equipped, and connecting."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf"},"insert":"You hate having a giant target on one creature. Once Kotis has three equipment on it, every removal spell and every combat trick at the table gets pointed at your 2-toughness body."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf"},"insert":"You want consistency over ceiling. Blanking a single combat step (a well-timed removal spell, a fog, a surprise blocker) can turn your whole turn into nothing happening."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf"},"insert":"You dislike interaction-heavy decks. This list runs a real counterspell suite (Arcane Denial, Countersquall, Dispel, Negate, Spell Pierce, Divert Disaster) and you have to actually hold mana up and pick your spots."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf"},"insert":"You SHOULD play this deck if..."},{"attributes":{"header":2},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf"},"insert":"You like the feeling of a single attack completely swinging a game, both in damage and in card advantage."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf"},"insert":"You enjoy protecting one specific permanent like it's a planeswalker: counterspells, hexproof, phasing, all pointed at keeping your one guy alive."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf"},"insert":"You want an aura/equipment shell that isn't just \"big dumb creature,\" but has a real secondary draw engine layered on top of it."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf"},"insert":"You're fine spending several turns doing \"nothing\" (equipping, casting protection, holding up countermagic) to set up one turn that does everything."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf"},"insert":"MVP Cards"},{"attributes":{"header":2},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf","bold":true},"insert":"Guardian Augmenter"},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf"},"insert":": +2/+2 and hexproof to your commander is absurd value on a 3-mana flash creature, and it's specifically built for exactly one archetype: commander-matters Voltron. It turns Kotis from \"vulnerable indestructible 2/1\" into \"hexproof threat that nothing at the table can target,\" which solves the deck's single biggest weakness (bounce, exile, and -X/-X effects that ignore indestructible) without spending an equip slot or a card that also has to survive combat itself."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf","bold":true},"insert":"Fireshrieker"},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf"},"insert":" and "},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf","bold":true},"insert":"Leyline Axe"},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf"},"insert":": double strike doesn't just double Kotis's damage output, it doubles the number of times the triggered ability fires. A Kotis hitting for 5 with double strike doesn't exile 10 cards off one trigger, it triggers twice, exiling 5 then 5 separately, which matters a lot because it means two independent \"cast spells with mana value X or less\" windows instead of one bigger one. That's often the difference between casting one expensive spell and casting two or three cheaper ones."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf","bold":true},"insert":"The Thirteenth Doctor"},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf"},"insert":": every single spell you cast for free off a Kotis trigger is, by definition, cast \"from anywhere other than your hand\" (it's coming out of exile). That's exactly what triggers the Doctor's Paradox ability, so a big Kotis swing that nets four or five free spells also drops four or five +1/+1 counters, usually right back onto Kotis. Team TARDIS then untaps everything with a counter on it at your end step, meaning Kotis (now bigger and covered in counters) comes back up ready to block or attack again next turn even without vigilance. This card was clearly built for spellslinger decks and nobody looks at a Voltron list expecting it to be one of the best pieces in the deck, but the synergy with Kotis's own ability is nearly one-to-one."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf","bold":true},"insert":"Surge of Brilliance"},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf"},"insert":": the same logic applies here. Foretell it on turn two or three, then crack it open after a huge Kotis attack where you cast a pile of free spells, and you draw a card for every one of them. It's a delayed, disguised \"draw X\" that scales directly with how good your attack just was."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf","bold":true},"insert":"Rishkar's Expertise"},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf"},"insert":": a second, standalone version of Kotis's core ability that doesn't require combat damage at all. Draw cards equal to your biggest creature's power (which, in this deck, is almost always a fully-loaded Kotis), then cast something up to five mana for free. It's the backup plan for a turn where you can't or don't want to attack."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf"},"insert":"Win Conditions"},{"attributes":{"header":2},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf"},"insert":"The plan is almost always to close the game through a single opponent taking a huge, evasive Kotis hit rather than through any kind of board-wide damage effect. That's a deliberate choice: this deck doesn't want to punish the whole table for a strategy that's about denying and looting one player's deck, and mass damage would also risk your own board (small enchantment creatures, Baleful Strix, Setessan Champion) far more than it helps you. The actual finishers are:"},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf","bold":true},"insert":"Wrecking Ball Arm"},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf"},"insert":": sets Kotis to a flat 7/7 and makes it unblockable by anything with power 2 or less. Since Kotis is legendary, the equip cost drops from {7} to {3}, so this comes online much earlier than the card text suggests. A 7/7 evasive Kotis with even one extra piece of equipment is lethal to most tables in one or two swings."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf","bold":true},"insert":"Blackblade Reforged"},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf"},"insert":": same legendary discount (equip {3} instead of {7}), and in a deck running 38 lands it can realistically add +8/+8 to +10/+10 by the midgame. It's the highest raw ceiling piece in the equipment suite."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf","bold":true},"insert":"Civic Saber and Conqueror's Flail"},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf"},"insert":": both scale off color count. Kotis is already three colors, so Civic Saber is a one-mana, one-mana-to-equip +3/+0, and Conqueror's Flail can realistically hit +4/+4 or +5/+5 once you have a couple off-color permanents in play, on top of shutting off instant-speed interaction from your opponents during your own combat."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf","bold":true},"insert":"Fireshrieker/Leyline Axe double strike"},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf"},"insert":": doubling damage output is doubling lethal range, and as covered above it also doubles the Kotis trigger, so these close games in two different ways at once."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf"},"insert":"Coolest Plays"},{"attributes":{"header":2},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf"},"insert":"Attack with Kotis wearing "},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf","bold":true},"insert":"Wrecking Ball Arm"},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf"},"insert":" (now a 7/7), it connects for 7. Exile the top 7 of the defending player's library, and among them is an Aura. Cast it for free: it enters, and if you have "},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf","bold":true},"insert":"Setessan Champion"},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf"},"insert":" or "},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf","bold":true},"insert":"Eutropia the Twice-Favored"},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf"},"insert":" in play, that triggers off "},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf","italic":true},"insert":"their"},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf"},"insert":" enchantment entering under your control, drawing you a card (Setessan Champion) or dropping a counter and flying onto Kotis (Eutropia), even though the card started in your opponent's deck."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf"},"insert":"Kotis is equipped with "},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf","bold":true},"insert":"Fireshrieker"},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf"},"insert":", giving it double strike. It swings in for 4 unblocked, triggering Kotis's ability for the first strike damage step (exile 4, cast up to two free spells), untaps nothing, then deals combat damage again in the regular step (exile another 4, cast up to two more free spells). One attack, two separate raids on the opponent's library, up to four free spells in a single combat."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf"},"insert":"A free spell cast off a Kotis trigger resolves, triggering "},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf","bold":true},"insert":"The Thirteenth Doctor"},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf"},"insert":"'s Paradox ability and dropping a +1/+1 counter on Kotis. At your end step, "},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf","bold":true},"insert":"Team TARDIS"},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf"},"insert":" untaps Kotis (now permanently bigger from the counter), so it's back up and ready to attack or block again next turn as if it never tapped."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf"},"insert":"Hold up "},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf","bold":true},"insert":"Surge of Brilliance"},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf"},"insert":" on foretell, attack with a big Kotis, cast three free spells off the trigger, then cast Surge of Brilliance itself (also cast from exile via foretell, so it counts itself) to draw four cards off a single combat step."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf","bold":true},"insert":"Conqueror's Flail"},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf"},"insert":" attached to Kotis shuts off instant-speed spells from opponents during your turn, so your attack step is completely safe from combat tricks or removal, right up until the moment your Kotis trigger goes on the stack."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf"},"insert":"Weak Points & What to Watch For"},{"attributes":{"header":2},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf"},"insert":"Kotis is indestructible, but that only stops destroy effects and lethal damage. Bounce, exile, -X/-X to zero toughness, and phasing effects go right through it, and none of your equipment or auras save you from those (Lion Umbra's umbra armor specifically only replaces \"would be destroyed,\" it does nothing for exile or 0 toughness)."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf"},"insert":"The deck is extremely equipment/aura-dense on one body, which means once Kotis is fully loaded it becomes the obvious, unmissable priority target at the table. Expect removal, especially exile effects and bounce, to come your way the moment Kotis looks threatening."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf"},"insert":"Chump blocks are a real answer. Kotis dealing 0 combat damage to a player because it got blocked by a 1/1 token means the entire turn's setup (equipping, casting protection) produced nothing. Trample and unblockable effects (Aqueous Form, Canopy Cover, Security Bypass, Rancor, Wrecking Ball Arm) exist specifically to close that gap."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf"},"insert":"Politically, once you resolve one big Kotis swing that mills and free-casts a chunk of someone's deck, that player has every incentive to hold up removal for Kotis specifically and to warn the table you're the threat. Expect to be answered reactively rather than proactively."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf"},"insert":"The plan needs mana rocks and dorks to come down on curve to get Kotis moving fast; if the ramp (Llanowar Elves, Utopia Sprawl, Sol Ring, signets, talismans) gets stripped or you flood on lands instead, the whole equip-and-swing plan slows down a full cycle behind schedule."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf"},"insert":"Mana consistency is quietly reinforced by two modal double-faced cards sitting in the spell slots rather than the land base: "},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf","bold":true},"insert":"Boggart Trawler"},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf"},"insert":" and "},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf","bold":true},"insert":"Hydroelectric Specimen"},{"attributes":{"color":"#bbbebf"},"insert":" can both be played as lands (Boggart Bog and Hydroelectric Laboratory respectively) when a hand is light on mana sources, without ever costing a dedicated land slot. Counting those, the deck effectively runs 38 mana sources instead of the 36 dedicated lands in the list, which matters in a three-color Voltron shell that needs both colored mana and enough total lands to hit its curve."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\n"}]}