For my first one, I'm going to talk about Wedge, or Tri-Color Generals.
Though they're really not my favorites, I have gotten a chance to play with and against many of these Commanders, so I figured we'd start with the smaller card pool and work our way towards the big mono-colored ones.
Before I rattle 'em off though, I'd like to talk about the process of grading, and how I'll continue to gift these lists in the future.
Most likely, what will put any given legend in a top list is the creature's ability to differentiate. I'm very much a proponent of the "right card, right deck" mentality, and it excites me when I see decks that can inhibit the perfect fit for many different strategies and many different cards.
Another quality will be potential for originality. There are only so many strategies, but when a general can inhibit different builds and strategies that feel fresh and super-fun, you've got yourself a good Commander.
The way I've decided to rank them is to actually put all three-colored guys into their respective colors, and rank them within their wedge group first, and then ultimately comparing the top cards to each other.That way each color combo is representin' in the top 10, and you get to see how I ranked them against each other, which will help you build decks if you just like those colors.
Obviously, some cards got a better shot at making the list, like RWU Americans only had 3 in their color while Grixis BRU had 10 to judge. So keep that in mind.
I will post the sub-rankings also, for your enjoyment.
Here we go!
10. Kaalia of the Vast
However, if you know me, than you know how difficult it was for me to put Kaalia in the list.
On the margin, I find Kaalia overplayed and mostly unoriginal. I'm not too big on this card, because I think that cheating Angels, Demons, and Dragons into play sounds more like a bad Dan Brown novel than a Magic card.
The reason, however, that I was able to suppress the vomit in my throat and pick this flying 2/2 is because I had the silliest idea for either an unnatural Kaalia Voltron build or a Cleric Tribal deck with this obnoxious overused woman, and it made me laugh. Also, it helped that I was able to compare it to one of my favorite decks I ever built, which was a rogue Oros Land Destruction deck, and I realized that, though the latter would be way more effective, people would think I was just picking jankier cards to be an EDH Hipster. So I threw you folks at home a bone while maintaining some credibility, I guess.
BRW Division Standings
1. Kaalia of the Vast
2. Oros, the Avenger
3. Tariel, Reckoner of Souls
9. Angus Mackenzie
Yeah, I picked Angus over Rafiq.
Overall, I just thought that this card actually has more to offer.
As a semi-permanent fog machine, Angus is in the unique position of being quite the Scottish/Irish man of mystery, allowing you to disguise a control strategy or a nice little horde-bashing-beatdown deck.
Because anyone who plays against Rafiq knows to keep an opening hand with a Doom Blade or a Path to Exile.
I just felt that having a Rafiq hidden in the deck with ways to tutor for it would be better than putting him on display.
Bant Division Standings
1. Angus Mackenzie
2. Rafiq of the Many
3. Jenara, Asura of War
4. Pheldagriff
5. Ragnar
6. Rubinia Soulsinger
7. Treva, the Renewer
8. Arcades Sabboth
8. Karrthus, Tyrant of Jund
There is just no one better than the Tyrant of Jund here.
For 7, he's a flying 7/7 with haste that can provide with you with extra value if your metagame is filled with the oldest of dragons.
This deck also provides you with a multitude of different strategies and combos, including ramp, Voltron, beatdown, and even a little land destruction.
That said, he's still low on the totem because he can't generate consistent value, only being able to take dragons and all.
Jund Division Standings
1. Karrthus, Tyrant of Jund
2. Sek'Kuar, Deathkeeper
3. Kresh the Bloodbraided
4. Vaevictis Asmadi
5. Xira Arien
6. Darigaaz, the Igniter
7. Adun Oakenshield
8. Bartel Runeaxe
7. Uril, the Miststalker
Uril is the winner here for the following reasons:
a) he looks like the big brother of the characters from Maurice Sendak's Where The Wild Things Are.
b) Uril's a 5/5 for five with hexproof.
c) He makes playing Auras actually relevant.
Though he's in the back of the pack because he's played a lot, I'm pretty up on this card. Unless Uril is countered, or Wrathed, the only direction he's coming is towards you, for damage, and death.
Naya Division Standings
1. Uril, the Miststalker
2. Rith, the Awakener
3. Hazezon Tamar
4. Palladia-Mors
5. Mayael the Anima
6. Johan
7. Jacques le Vert
6. Thraximundar
Though fairly obvious as a general, Thrax has the blessing of being able to head up control decks and be the only real creature in the deck, or be one of my Zombies in all-the-brains-you-can-eat buffet.
In my mind, he gets the edge over Garza Zol because he's generates a little more battlefield value, which is drastically under appreciated in primarily UB combination builds. Also, his synergy with sac outlets like Shivan Harvest could pump him up fast in a value-driven Voltron-style build.
Grixis Division Standings
1. Thraximundar
2. Garza Zol, Plague Queen
3. Mishra, Artificer Prodigy
4. Sol'kanar the Swamp King
5. Nicol Bolas
6. Sedris, the Traitor King
7. Gwendlyn Di Corci
8. Crosis, the Purger
9. Tetsuo Umezawa
10. Lord of Tresserhorn
5. Ertai, the Corrupted
The Ertai deck gets to do whatever it wants. It can lock you down playing aggro. It can lock you down playing enchantments. It can even lock you down playing enchantment Voltron, what Zur is known for.
The best thing about this iteration is that you don't have to worry about your enchantments being under 3. As I also said, with Undying and Persist, this deck could be a sweet Esper beatdown deck.
You'll also notice that I ranked Merieke Ri Berit above Zur too. That's because she can control the board better than Zur too, and no one will really know how things are going to play out until it's too late.
As for Ertai, well, it made the Top 5 because it's one of the most exciting yet drastically under represented Generals I've ever seen, and I don't think any of us have even begun to understand his greatness.
Esper Division Standings
1. Ertai, the Corrupted
2. Merieke Ri Berit
3. Zur the Enchanter
4. Dakkon Blackblade
5. Sharuum the Hegemon
6. Dromar, the Banisher
7. Sen Triplets
8. Lady Evangela
9. Chromium
10. Halfdane
4. Doran, the Siege Tower
I'm not saying anything people don't know, but the reason I picked Doran here is because the 0/5 Treefolk really can do a lot of neat things, including turning his usually weak friends into All-Stars.
In my mind, there's also a lot more to do with Doran. With Teneb and Karador, the graveyard makes for a pretty typical Commander strategy. Even Ghave likes to sacrifice things.
Doran, however, is more of an amalgam in this regard. Because he's the strangest 5/5 for 3, he's just more odd, compelling, and downright more fun to play. All kinds of new cards get to be used and abused, and he inhibits some other cool strategies like enchantment Voltron, the Defender deck, and Treefolk battles that we haven't seen since Treebeard and his buddies flooded Isengard.
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| This, ladies and gentlemen, is how Trees get it done. |
1. Doran, the Siege Tower
2. Ghave, Guru of Spores
3. Teneb, the Harvester
4. Karador, Ghost Chieftain
3. Ruhan of the Fomori
That's fair, cause Ruhan getting here honestly isn't. Sharing colors with Zedruu makes the decision so easy, even blind, ignorant Ruhan could've made the choice, if he was allowed to pick himself without any moral/ethical hangups.
For me, Ruhan beats Numot out for king of the American Division because there's some great ridiculous things that can be done with him.
Voltron, obviously is Ruhan's game, and he's just soo freaking good at it. With access to Godo and Stoneforge, he's pretty much getting there in a great way.
But Ruhan was chosen because of the VALUE. a 7/7 for four still blows my mind, regardless of the drawback, which could be completely removed in a 1v1 environment.
Having blue also helps to protect Mr. Big Stick here, and he provides a nice, recurrable guy that can protect control decks early game or go on the damage plan.
I like this guy, though I've never been able to make him work. He's funny, awesome, and a beating in one.
RWU Division Standings
1. Ruhan of the Fomori
2. Numot, the Devastator
3. Zedruu the Greathearted
2. Damia, Sage of Stone
Being Anti-Mimeoplasm though, it was, and for more reasons than the fact that I just plain can't stand The Mimeoplasm.
Let's talk about how Damia won this, cause Vorosh is probably one of the best enemy-colored Time Spiral Dragons.
Having played Vorosh, the card is solid. Getting a 6/6 for six that pumps is awesome, and I think everyone can get behind this.
However, Damia plain outclasses Vorosh, because these colors aren't about the battling, really.
Damia, to me, is better cause library manipulation and card drawing allow you as the player to outdraw other people.
Though this sounds like a boring theme, there's actually many different ways this card can get played, ranging from my heap build to Living End combos to even sweet builds with Relentless Rats.
I just don't know how anyone could pass up a way to get to play all the Relentless Rats, and sweet cards like Doubling Chant and Rite of Replication in the same deck.
On a personal note, my Damia build allows me to play some cool stuff like Trade Routes and Worm Harvest along side a bunch of other cool retrace stuff like Spitting Image.
BUG Division Standings
1. Damia, Sage of Stone
2. Vorosh, the Hunter
3. The Mimeoplasm
1. Maelstrom Wanderer
Wanderer, if the deck is made right, goes to work spinning the wheel and beating face. Though the deck is obviously pretty linear, and kind of a one-trick pony, it's a great one-trick pony, because the spells that get cast in his wake are never the same thing twice.
Grandpa Growth plays this deck a lot, and I have to tell you it's not a lot of fun to play against in 1v1. Two extra spells wreck face every time, and there's really no way to actually win after it gets cast if you play it right.
Any of those two cards that get flipped can create lethal combos. One of the worst is Regal Force and Avenger. Even disruption is gross, like Beast Within and Pongify. Planeswalkers take the cake though. flipping Chandra 3.0 or Tamiyo or Jace will just end the game.
Though it may not be fun, paying 8 for a 7/5 fervor on a stick that can flip cards with less than 7 CMC means that you're perhaps paying 8 to get up to 14 extra mana in a single turn. So it's worth it, if you believe that the devil has better uses for your soul than you do.
The only other thing I have to say about the RUG generals is this- Riku is a joke.
RUG Division Standings
1. Maelstrom Wanderer
2. Animar, Soul of Elements
3. Intet, the Dreamer
4. Riku of Two Reflections
Alright. That's my list. Please share your thoughts. I'm curious to know what's up.
Passsssssss....
-UL
Serious misgivings about these lists.
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