Duel Decks
Cats Versus Dogs (Commander)
10 Jul 2020 - 12 min read
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Hey crew! So we’ve got a bit of a different article set-up for you today. In an effort to promote the differences between our deck-building and theory-crafting, we’ve decided to put together a brand new series called DUEL DECKS! Basically, we’ll be picking up the slack for Wizards who dropped the classic Duel Decks line a couple years ago with our own crazy builds featuring the best of match-ups. To start things off, we thought we’d jump right into the ridiculously powerful Core Set 2021 that was just released…
You see, we’ve been having a bit of an argument over the superior household animal and I need your help proving him wrong once and for all. That’s right. Chev and his felines are facing off against Julian’s canines: it’s Cats Versus Dogs.
Cats
Core set 2021 is the redemption cats need after their failed attempt on the silver screen. Between Feline Sovereign and Pridemalkin we’re seeing some absolute stunners represented which is only making the case for kitten superiority stronger. But first, let me introduce you all to someone. He’s been with my family for about half the time of me or my sister, but has already been elevated to favorite child. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s listed first in my parents’ will.
What? You dare accuse me of trying to use cute cat photos to convince you that cats are superior? Why that’s, that’s outrageous! I would never!
..Is it working?
Cat Kong
There are probably two main ways you can take a cat Commander build: Wide ( Jazal Goldmane , Jedit Ojanen of Efrava , Mirri, Weatherlight Duelist ) or Equipment ( Nazahn, Revered Blacksmith , Balan, Wandering Knight , Kemba, Kha Regent ). We’ll be focusing on the wide archetype. Equipment is cool, but I generally prefer to measure fun in CCPM. Or “Cats cast per minute” and the wide strategy has a much stronger CCPM score. So who do we choose to lead our legion of leopards?!
Back in 2017, Wizards designed the Commander set around particular tribes of popular Magic creatures. While some of you might be more familiar with Edgar Markov and The Ur-Dragon , This magnificent creature also made quite the appearance:
That’s right, a freaking savage, world-roaring CAT! Where were dogs Julian? Probably out sniffing their butts or something. Arahbo ushered in a new era for cat-kind in our favorite casual format by not only being an absolute stud, but also finding ways to provide value wherever our furry friend ends up thanks to eminence. He is exactly what cats need to conquer the multiverse! Muwahahaha… huh? Who said that? Let’s uhh, let’s take a look at the deck!
Feline Ferocity
Arahbo, Roar of the World always allows us to buff one cat per turn +3/+3, but if he’s on the board, we also can pay {1}{G}{W} for each attacking cat to double its power and toughness. Okay, that’s pretty beast. I mean common household aggro name Xenagos, God of Revels can only double one creature’s stats a turn and he’s a GOD. Point, Arahbo.
To best utilize Arahbo’s bounty of beautiful abilities we want to lean heavily on the aggressive nature of our commander and be dropping cats left and right. I want to overwhelm our enemies with cuddly cuteness and claws of steel. Luckily, most cats tend to agree.
There are a bajillion ways to generate cat tokens in this deck, these are just the top few. Even better, a lot of the token generation doesn’t even involve tapping, so we can ball out on the attack and still come back with double the number of war-ready cheetahs. (Well, unless you’re poor Pride Sovereign who finds generating tokens so strenuous they have to take two turns off to recover. Taking a nap, drinking some Eternal’s blood, whatever Amonkhet cats do) This allows us to utilize the benefits of Arahbo the most, by giving us as many targets as possible with doubled stats, if we have the mana to back that up. Once we do, this can easily start snowballing.
Of course, you might be a little hesitant to spend your mana doubling the power of a legion of 1/1s. Hey I don’t blame yah. Good thing we got lords for DAYZ. Be they true feline or leonin, cats have been getting buffed since the early 2000s. Dogs…I mean, they got Pack Leader …which is cute and oh so fluffy, but here’s areminder of what the cats are working with?
Just get one of these bad boys on the field and we’re already talking about our 1/1 tokens becoming 4/4s with Arahbo’s boost. Not to mention the glorious inclusion of
Beastmaster Ascension
,
Mirari’s Wake
,
Overwhelming Stampede
, and
True Conviction
to add even more base power. We’re all about redundancy.
Just imagine an army of these absolute chonks coming at ya. You’d run. I’d run. And we all know a dog would run.
Aide-de-Camp
We’ve also got a friend from Ikoria who serves as Arahbo’s right-hand cat in the war against canines, Kaheera, the Orphanguard . Kaheera provides support as another lord for our army, and a giver of vigilance, a fantastic buff allowing us both offense and defense. Taking advantage of the absolutely bonkers way the companion mechanic is integrating with Commander, i.e. allowing us a 101st card, this allows Kaheera to be an essential 9th card in our starting hand meaning instant lord access. Yes, the companion change means I need to drum up 3 mana first to get Kaheera into my hand but she’s still suuuper powerful. And we’re in green so like, nbd.
Insult to Injury
Sometimes, buff cats just aren’t enough. Even with a powerful second-in-command and Arahbo dropping buffs like a cleric, we might need to call in a helping hand. We need something like…
Which also just got reprinted!
Just to be safe, we also have Mirror Entity waiting in the wings to provide a party buff, and more individual tactical advantages like Berserk and Hunter’s Prowess if we need to deliver the death strike with a single Serpopard.
Psssst
You know this last one might not even be fair. I can’t in good conscience give you this strat. Dogs probably haven’t deserved this absolute obliteration…
…so I’ll tell you, whatever you do, do not add Nine Lives and Solemnity to your build. And especially no tutors like idyllic Tutor or Enlightened tutor . That would, that would be terrible.
Sure, all dogs might go to heaven - but cats can live forever (with the right enchantment).
Dogs
The domesticated portion of the canine family tree that we know as dogs have been called many things; fluffers, floofers,woofers, puppies, doggos, good boys and girls, just to name a few. But never have they been called hounds. This was a mistake that Magic had been making since the game’s inception (minus Zodiac Dog, Portal was weird). But the release of Core 2021 and Jumpstart we have been given a blessing in the errata of the hound creature type to dog.
And with this change, Wizards has started to give doggos the love that they deserve in the form of true tribal support, something that those wretched cats have been receiving en masse for the past few years . And most of the cat tribal support until just recently derives from lion men being a thing in Magic for forever, which I think is a little unfair. I believe dogs and wolves (both the were and non-were varieties) should be able to run in the same pack, but alas. As a proud dog owner and lover since I was born, it’s only natural that I remind the world who the best pets are with a dog-themed Commander deck! And also I want to put Chev in his place…
A Bite to Back Up the Bark
Dogs come in all different breeds, and despite there only being a measly 89 dogs printed in the game’s nearly 30 year history, they can be found in all 5 colors! Since dogs have been printed so sparingly, Wizards hasn’t had time to really find the sweet spot on canine design. I’m not gonna sugarcoat it: most of these cards aren’t… competitive.
However, there are a few floofers that I want to draw attention to. The best and newest is Pack Leader . The only dog lord, he is absolutely essential for our pack to succeed. Also from Core 21 is Selfless Savior . Many people have said that they would die for their dog, but this little pup is willing to put himself on the line for our cause. Being able to protect our Pack Leader or another crucial canine is a godsend.
Hailing from Tarkir and bringing back memories of our foundational Magic days are Ainok Guide and Ainok Survivalist . The former helps fix our five color mana base and the latter, along with newcomer Rambunctious Mutt , is great at picking off an opposing Coat of Arms or Mirari’s Wake (that’s right Chev, I see the shenanigans you’re up to playing real cards).
Two more powerful and more ferocious options are Underworld Cerberus and his counterpart Kunoros, Hound of Athreos . When people have signs that read “Beware of Guard Dog,” they’re talking about these guys. No one is getting close to their graveyards when these guys are around.
Man’s Best Friend
Now, if the puppers were just going at it alone, it would be a rough time. But, luckily, dogs aren’t known as ‘Man’s Best Friend’ for nothing. We’ve got a whole team of breeders, walkers, trainers, etc in tow to support these furballs!
First up is Alpine Houndmaster . A new addition, this guy brings along his two best buddies right to our hand for some sick card advantage. Speaking of card advantage, Den Protector , Archaeomancer , and Snapcaster Mage all make sure that we continually have toys for our dogs to play with, while Gerrard, Weatherlight Hero makes sure that we continually have doggos to play with our toys Lastly we have Drannith Magistrate and Containment Priest to make sure that those tricksy cats (or reanimation players) can’t cheat us.
Two for One
Now, we are bringing a few more creatures who are simultaneously Man and Best Friend: changelings. There’s a running joke that Chameleon Colossus is the best insert tribe here and it’s no different for dogs. Our changelings are generally powerful and also receive all the bonuses for being a dog while also being a human. Irregular Cohort , Taurean Mauler , and Graveshifter are all welcome additions to the pack.
Which now leads us to the elephant (dog? changeling?) in the room. “Julian”, I rhetorically say to myself alone in my room in a voice meant to mimic you readers, “This is a Commander deck, who’s our general?” To which I say, “I have some unfortunate news kids.” There is no* dog commander. Kunoros and Isamaru, Hound of Konda are legendary dogs, but they don’t provide the color depth needed to shelter our strays. Rin and Seri, Inseparable while an interesting card in design space is absolute heresy when we’re here to show the cats that dogs are superior. We cannot have a cat in power.
And thus we turn to technicalities. Morophon, the Boundless has helmed many an under-supported tribal deck and they’ll do the same for us. Providing us mana cost reductions while also buffing our dogs (or humans, depending on our board at the time we cast him) will secure him a spot as the pack alpha.
Throw a Dog a …
If there’s one thing that dogs love to do, it’s play! Cats are lame. They just sit around, do their own thing, and only seek human attention when it’s dinner time. Dogs want love, affection, and for their owner to stop playing arena and go outside to throw a bone or ball. (Of course since this is a war against the feline menace, we generally will be playing with sharper and pointier toys, but we do have a few balls to toss.)
Mirari and it’s Wake are both important for us. Fixing and accelerating is crucial in a five color deck and being able to copy things like Swords to Plowshares or even an Eladamri’s Call can get us out of hairy situations.
Sword of Fire and Ice and Sword of Feast and Famine (among others, we’re playing five swords), aren’t exactly a T-bone for our pups to gnaw on, but they will sure help us hold back the cat crusade. And of course we also have to suit up our doggos with some Lightning Greaves and Swiftfoot Boots so they can chase Arahbo and Brimaz out of town. And of course, at the end of the day, we’ll be flying our Vanquisher’s Banner , or more likely using it to wipe the mud and blood off our dogs’ feet. Can’t have them tracking it through the house.
It’s a Dog Eat Dog World
It’s ruff out there, especially for dogs in Magic. But these most recent sets are looking like they might teach the old dogs some new tricks. This deck is not exactly powerful, but it’s fun and on theme! We’re running tutors and good removal to shore up our lack of powerhouse dogs. Soon enough though, we’ll have enough tribal support for a real deck that can go toe to toe with the tribal giants like Elves and Merfolk. (Also to provide a contingency we are running the Academy Rector , Kaervek’s Spite , Barren Glory combo which is not one you see, like… ever. Figured we could mix things up, especially if Chev is talking about Solemnity shenanigans, that degenerate.)
So, there you have it! Two fantastic new tribal decks featuring some of Magic’s goodest boys, and fantastic felines. Which side will you chose?