Merry Wintertime everyone! This month is a stressful time for me since my school work is piling up and finals are just over the horizon. Since I could use a mental break, this month will be kind of a return to form. Just like in the early days of CCC, I'll be introducing ya'll to a new casual format. This format was devised by me and a friend while sorting bulk rares, please give a warm welcome to Reliquary.
So what is Reliquary. Well it's similar to Brawl or Oathbreaker in it's deckbuilding, 60 card singleton, command zone, matching color identity, etc. The difference stems from what goes in your command zone. In Reliquary, any legendary nonland, noncreature, nonplaneswalker is allowed in your command zone. So this means legendary instants, sorceries, artifacts, and enchantments are all fair game. Also players start the game at 30 life. An additional rule is that, due to the lack of color in a majority of the commander options, players with colorless commanders may declare their deck to be up to 3 colors, if they do they start the game at 25 life instead of 30. Currently there is a ban list that can be found here (https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2547380#paper) With the rules out of the way, let's get to some decks!
So of course I'll be including the two decks me and my friend brewed when this format was first formed. On top of that I asked around with some smiths and got two additional choices for which I'll brew some decks. So without further ado, let's meet the sample decks!
The Magic Mirror
https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2547492#paper
When making my deck I chose The Magic Mirror as my Commander. The price reduction that we get from casting our spells makes sure we always get a nice low cost on our main piece and with a big suite of proliferate, you best believe we'll be drawing a hell of a lot of cards. For the most part we want to draw through our deck and hit either Laboratory Maniac or Jace, Wielder of Mysteries, then we draw the rest of our deck for the win! It's simple, fun, and who doesn't love drawing cards?
Throne of the God Pharaoh
https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2548784#paper
My friend brewed up an Abzan vehicle aggro list, relying on the massive draining power of Throne of the God Pharaoh. Using cards that benefit from being tapped such as Emmara, Soul of the Accord and King Macar alongside bulky vehicles, this deck is a total powerhouse of on board power! There's also a slight token theme added into the deck that can completely come out of nowhere to destroy your opponents.
Skysovereign, Consul Flagship - ThatOneCat
https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2548828#paper
As suggested by ThatOneCat, our next list is based around Skysovereign, Consul Flagship. For this deck I decided to go a sort of Jeskai Ensoul path given the power of our commander. The main goal here is to throw down one of our many vehicles then animate it, making it able to swing on it's own. This deck, although similar to the Throne list, has its own distinct flavor since it plays a bit slower but relies on bigger threats. A 6/5 flier that doubles as a lightning bolt every time it attacks is no joke.
Tamiyo's Journal - Lukijul
https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2548838#paper
Finally, as suggested by Lukijul, we have a list featuring Tamiyo's Journal. For this clue-centric commander I chose to go with a Bant list that involves the sweet sacrificing machine known as Grinding Station. Two mana is a lot to pay to sacrifice your clues and Grinding Station let's you do so for free, and with an added mill bonus. The whole deck generates so many clues offhand that often times, Grinding Station mixed with Fleeting Memories can seriously close games. We also run a nice amount of Naturalize effects to deal with other player's pesky commanders.
That's all I have for you this month, let me know what commanders you want to brew in Reliquary, and if you ever do, send me the lists. You can find me on twitter @East2Westmtg or email me at East2westmtg@gmail.com. As always this has been East2west with CCC, I'll see you guys on the battlefield.
So what is Reliquary. Well it's similar to Brawl or Oathbreaker in it's deckbuilding, 60 card singleton, command zone, matching color identity, etc. The difference stems from what goes in your command zone. In Reliquary, any legendary nonland, noncreature, nonplaneswalker is allowed in your command zone. So this means legendary instants, sorceries, artifacts, and enchantments are all fair game. Also players start the game at 30 life. An additional rule is that, due to the lack of color in a majority of the commander options, players with colorless commanders may declare their deck to be up to 3 colors, if they do they start the game at 25 life instead of 30. Currently there is a ban list that can be found here (https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2547380#paper) With the rules out of the way, let's get to some decks!
So of course I'll be including the two decks me and my friend brewed when this format was first formed. On top of that I asked around with some smiths and got two additional choices for which I'll brew some decks. So without further ado, let's meet the sample decks!
The Magic Mirror
https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2547492#paper
When making my deck I chose The Magic Mirror as my Commander. The price reduction that we get from casting our spells makes sure we always get a nice low cost on our main piece and with a big suite of proliferate, you best believe we'll be drawing a hell of a lot of cards. For the most part we want to draw through our deck and hit either Laboratory Maniac or Jace, Wielder of Mysteries, then we draw the rest of our deck for the win! It's simple, fun, and who doesn't love drawing cards?
Throne of the God Pharaoh
https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2548784#paper
My friend brewed up an Abzan vehicle aggro list, relying on the massive draining power of Throne of the God Pharaoh. Using cards that benefit from being tapped such as Emmara, Soul of the Accord and King Macar alongside bulky vehicles, this deck is a total powerhouse of on board power! There's also a slight token theme added into the deck that can completely come out of nowhere to destroy your opponents.
Skysovereign, Consul Flagship - ThatOneCat
https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2548828#paper
As suggested by ThatOneCat, our next list is based around Skysovereign, Consul Flagship. For this deck I decided to go a sort of Jeskai Ensoul path given the power of our commander. The main goal here is to throw down one of our many vehicles then animate it, making it able to swing on it's own. This deck, although similar to the Throne list, has its own distinct flavor since it plays a bit slower but relies on bigger threats. A 6/5 flier that doubles as a lightning bolt every time it attacks is no joke.
Tamiyo's Journal - Lukijul
https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2548838#paper
Finally, as suggested by Lukijul, we have a list featuring Tamiyo's Journal. For this clue-centric commander I chose to go with a Bant list that involves the sweet sacrificing machine known as Grinding Station. Two mana is a lot to pay to sacrifice your clues and Grinding Station let's you do so for free, and with an added mill bonus. The whole deck generates so many clues offhand that often times, Grinding Station mixed with Fleeting Memories can seriously close games. We also run a nice amount of Naturalize effects to deal with other player's pesky commanders.
That's all I have for you this month, let me know what commanders you want to brew in Reliquary, and if you ever do, send me the lists. You can find me on twitter @East2Westmtg or email me at East2westmtg@gmail.com. As always this has been East2west with CCC, I'll see you guys on the battlefield.
