3 Reasons Why Dromoka's Command is Insanely Good in Modern [Flash!]

Quick post. I want to try something new on this blog by creating short posts like this rather than my usual long-winded ones and see which is a better response with you guys! I'm kicking off this with one card that is has picked up value and seen play across Standard and Modern Format recently!

1. The application of four modes of the command is extremely relevant in the meta. In my opinion, it may be the strongest command in the DTK cycle in Modern meta applications, alongside with Artaka's Command as a close second as the latter may require specific decks to properly utilize its all of four utilities. In my opinion, Dromoka's Command has a slightly more versatile set of utilities that is able to be played in most decks running the colour.
2. Speaking of Powerful or versatile utility, it just builds on the previous point in regards to relevance. The most used modes you would choose is the last two. Having a +1/+1 counter and fighting another creature as a pseudo-removal does wonders in many games. Especially since Modern is looking to be a creature-dominated format, the chosen modes as mention do help push the stalemate board. However, the first two do have very surprisingly flexible options as utility against certain match-ups (eg. RDW, Twin, Boggles, Prison, some control variants, etc.). You do know that this stops damaged-based boardwipes right? Similarly, this actually removes Keranos, God of the Storm in Twin Exarch decks and as well as Eidolon of the Great Revel in Burn decks.
3. Having the Command with 4-choose-2 utility choice at cmc 2 is very much value for the mana you are investing for that turn. I did mention this earlier, but it is rarely a dead card in hand. It is an extremely powerful utility in early game but still a good top-deck draw in late games to help break stalemate. In early games, having 2 utility choices gives you a tempo advantage in terms of answers. Think of it as being able to cast an additional 2 spells to help your board or game state in that turn. In late game, it's cheap enough to allow you to follow up with bigger, and flashier spells.

Note, I'm not screaming this to be the next big thing in modern (It might?). I'm merely a fan of this card in the new command cycle and I feel that the card is rather underrated still in the Modern Format. If it does not fit the bill to be a mainboard card in most decks, I think that having this as a 1-off in sideboards do help change games in post-sideboarding. 

What do you think? Did I make a sound argument in getting you interested in the card? What are your opinions regarding this card?

A Modern deck write-up.

Hello! My name is Slark and I am here today to introduce you to this modern deck! Its my current deck at the moment and it’s a standard Modern Wilt Leaf Liege deck.

This deck is rather easy to play, but is rather expensive. However, if you’re someone who suffered the banhammer of Birthing Pod, this  deck can be built relatively cheaply! Especially since Noble Hierarch and Wilt Leaf Liege has been reprinted, their prices have fall significantly! If you have interest in building this deck, I suggest you get the cards NOW. (as of 3/6/2015.)

This deck works as a selesyna beatdown aggro. However, there are 2 variations of this deck. This being the Mana dork one, which focuses on early ramping and beating down fast. There is another version that focuses on discard and control which I will mention below.

Playing this deck is rather simple. Turn 1. Land, Mana dork, Turn 2, start filling up your field, and start whacking away! The dork version listed here is rather aggro-oriented, and can dish out big creatures early game.  Most of the creatures listed here have a lot of value for their cost. With Noble Hierarch, which is a mana dork that provides like 2/3 of the mana you need for this deck’s monsters, not only that, it has exalted, which gives a lone creature attacking + 1/1, doesn’t sound much, but early 4/3 Kitchen Finks can help in the beatdown in the long run.

Loxodon Smiter (or affectionately named, Elephant man.) is a 3 mana for a whopping 4/4. Whats best about it is that it doesn’t just stops there. It cannot be countered, and if your opponent wants to discard it, it comes into play for FREE!

Voice of Resurgence is a 2 mana for a 2/2. That sounds like average doesn’t it? But it probably has one of the best effects in the Ravnica block for a 2 drop. If your opponent casts a spell on your turn OR it dies, it gets a Elemental token that’s Power and toughness is equal to the number of creatures you have.  As a Mana Dork deck, we tend to play a lot of creatures and elementals will big REAL big.  If you get this card on the field early, your opponent has to either get rid of it when you summon it, or it will become rather deadly later in the game, At worst, it summons a elemental token. At it’s best, its Control’s worst nightmare.

Siege Rhino is hands down one of the superstars in Khans of Tarkir. A 4 mana for a 4/5. I fell in instant love when this card came out. 4 mana for 4/5 is a instant above average. But with Trample,  and a effect that drains 3 health from your opponent, Siege Rhino is a versatile creature with a great body. In this deck it can be a 6/7. And also helps yourself against Burn.

Kitchen Finks is a 3 mana for a 3/2. Sounds bad. Doesn’t it? But its effect is AMAZING. When it comes on the field, 2 gain 2 life. When it gets destroyed, it actually comes back with a -1/-1 effect and its “entering battlefield” trigger activates, giving you 2 life.  You can negate this effect with many cards that give you +1/+1.

Wilt Leaf Liege is a 4 mana for 4/4, its average, but its name is on the decklist itself. Why? Because of its pump effect. It gives white creature +1/+1, and green creature a +1/+1. This gives Selesyna creatures +2/+2, which is Loxodon Smiter, Siege Rhino, Qasali Pridemage, Voice of Resurgence and Wilt-Leaf Liege.

The rest of the deck, are removal, typical modern removal. I threw in 2 thoughtseize to counter some combo decks.

Lingering souls- A lot of value packed in this card.  A 3 mana that spawns 2 1/1s sounds bad, but the fact that it has flashback for 2 makes it really valuable. Also, these tokens really fit in nicely with your resurgence elementals.

Now for the Sideboard:

Choke- Huge counters against Blue decks, its fun to shut them down with this.

Feed the clan- I know what you must be thinking, seriously? Feed the Clan?! But I would beg you to think about using this card. 5 life isn’t a mearge sum, and if you have a rhino or boosted creature, you’re getting 10. Its nearly a second chance against burn matchups.

Stony Silence & Fracturing Gust- Both are in my sideboard for extreme affinity hate. If you get Stony Silence on the field, Affinitiy will be shut down for the moment. It should give you enough time to aggro them to death. Fracturing Gust on the other hand may be rather slow, but it literally wipes affinity clean. And also, Fracturing Gust also helps against Bogles.

Dromoka’s Command – Usually, people would like to replace this with Leyline of Sanctity, I think its alright to play this in exchange of some of the sideboard cards here. However, I feel that Dromoka’s Command is an excellent card. The first mode is a Leyline for a turn. The second mode can destroy an enchantment, especially strong  against land tappers and Blood Moon. The Third mode gives a creature +1/+1. It helps to repair finks and also make your creatures bigger. This helps in the beat down.  The last mode is actually removal, but be careful using the same creature to attack!

Sorin, Solemn Visitor: This planeswalker is actually rather relevant to the deck. At 4 mana, you can give all your creatures a boost and lifelink, now this in combo with  Lingering Souls tokens can get you a lot! Sorin also has the ability to protect himself with a 2/2 vampire token.

Zealous Persecution- B/W token’s worst nightmare. It gives everyone a -1/-1, and can wipe some small creatures  and buff yours for a beatdown.  However, its duration is only for the turn  you play it. So be wise when you use it!

Engineered Explosives: Charge it up, and blow up those smallies! Really strong against merfolk, It’s a really nice card but it may be slow on the earlier turns, so be wary of how you use this.

SpellSkite- I actually upgraded and swapped this for Aven Mindcensor, which I will be writing below. Nevertheless, SpellSkite is rather versatile as it can redirect bolts and other kind of spells from your wilts. Heck, a two drop that can survive a lightning bolt sounds REALLY good!

Aven MindCensor- Oh boy, this guy- or bird. Hands down one of the most annoying effects for your opponents when they use fetchlands, it also shuts down tutors and lower their effectiveness, heck it has flash even to the point that your foes wont even see it coming.  A flying 2/1 can also help in the beatdown.

Scavenging Ooze- This card is really good in that it can help weaken your foe’s tarmogoyf, and also become really big overtime, it also helps to clear cards that can come back from the grave.

                                                                                                                                                           

Well, that’s it for my deck, there are many other Sideboardable cards like Inquisiton of Koz. Thrun the Last troll, but the’re more of an sideboard option, till then, I hope to see you guys soon!

On The Stack

The past four weeks have been very enriching. Because GP Singapore is imminent, and therefore the frequency of my games intensified. The learning values were there of course, but it also offered many excruciating experiences for me, most of the time.

I received hard lessons on top-decking (or rather, not top-decking at all) when you needed it the most. Imagine having the luxury of drawing over thirty cards off the top of your library when your opponent has a massive board presence of ten lands and nothing else, simply waiting for you to make things happen.

And suddenly it seemed like I was playing this unfamiliar Twinless Exarch.

Or your opponent sneaking in a very brilliant Illness in the Ranks just before you cast your Blood Moon to screw up the land colors for his Collected/Chord of Calling. Twenty turns later I concluded that I had swapped out my one and only Repeal that I was patiently waiting to draw.

But the most important lesson this weekend, was that I finally learnt to use the golden phrase," On the stack.”

A typical combo match-up is capable of ten-minute games. You either win, or lose. Which is also the reason why I always have time for two cigarette breaks between rounds and sometimes, even a 25-minute lunch break.

And then I figured out that I have also been giving away longer coffee breaks to my opponents. I am actually giving away games far too easily.

I hold the stack a lot more nowadays. I make an increased amount of calculated moves between the stacks for better gameplays.

I used to let Abrupt Decay resolve when it targeted my Deceiver Exarch in the midst of tapping for the combo, since there was no way I could counter it and I should naturally let it go. But because I held the stack, I took a second look at my hand and realised that I have a Pestermite and I can flash it in response with Abrupt Decay on the stack, untap my Deceiver Exarch and trigger off the combo a million times before Abrupt Decay resolves.

I held an Aether Vial trigger on the stack and Repealed it before any counter can be added on it. I placed my own Serum Visions on the stack and resolved a Telling Time so that the Serum Visions would effectively draw me the second card that I needed. Sometimes I even go to the extent of flashing in a Deceiver Exarch with my opponent’s fetchland ability on the stack, just to avoid him getting a blue land source to counter my creature.

There was this recent encounter where I was playing against a Jeskai Aggro deck with Geist of Saint Trafts and flipping Delvers. We got ourselves into a midgame beatdown, his one 3/2 Insectile against my two Snapcaster Mages. With his life total at 2 (I was at 3), I had a Lightning Bolt in hand and could easily deal for lethal to his face, which some players might do. But my opponent had two untapped lands in play and I decided to pass my turn, allowing him to survive on 2.

That move proved to be crucial as my opponent took his opportunity and cast a Lightning Helix targeted at me for his own version of lethal. In response, I cast my Lightning Bolt which went on top of the stack and resolved first. State-based effects checked, opponent ends up dead first, and I won the game.

My games have gradually evolved from losing in 10 minutes to grinding out my opponent for 20 minutes and eventually finding ways to turn the tide and win that game instead.

Because when you hold spells on the stack, there is time for you to consider your options and make better decisions rather than blindly allowing spells to resolve. On-the-stack plays are excellent opportunities to catch your opponents off guard and pressurize them into making misplays that could be beneficial to your game.

Remember that once you have allowed spells to resolve, there is no way of retracting your moves.

I smoke a lot lesser now though.