Magic: The Gathering - Commander Deck Overview 7

If your opponents can't play cards, they can't win. Forcing opponents to discard cards can be a winning strategy. A commander who grants bonus elves whenever opponents discard is icing on the cake.

My previous post covered controlling the game through library hate. This deck instead removes options from an opponent's hand. The green side of this two-color deck includes a lot of overlap with the mono-green Ezuri elf deck along with some mana ramp. The black side brings the control aspect of card denial plus life loss effects. The intended strategy is to get the commander on the table, build some defenses, and then start forcing opponents to discard as much as possible. When opponents run out of options, it's time to move in for the kill.

The inclusion of Rhys the Exiled might look like another Tiny Leaders gambit, but he's just there to help the standard deck by adding a life gain option. Other cards for that purpose include Suffer the Past, which also halts some graveyard strategies, and Last Caress, which also draws a card. Eyeblight Massacre and Thornbow Archer add a dark twist to elf tribal strategy, too. If things go wrong, there are some fog effects.

This deck has not been playtested very much yet, so it is likely to change. My experience thus far does indicate that using the discard tactic makes me a target, but that doesn't matter if it's used right. Suggestions for changes to this deck in the comments below are welcome. Happy gaming!