One of the cool things about the Duel Commander format is how incredibly diverse it is. While some strategies are definitely more competitive than others, tons of high-powered legends are available.
The Relic Fest main event in France put this idea on full display, with a variety of unique archetypes putting up strong results. One of the coolest decks in the event, built around Lonis, Cryptozoologist, made it all the way to top 32 out of 923 players!
Comboing Off with Lonis
Lonis, Cryptozoologist can generate a ton of value in this deck through its Clue generation. Whether you crack those Clues manually or funnel them into this Snake’s activated ability, it’s easy to pull ahead on resources once things get rolling.
To get things started, this deck plays a boatload of cheap mana dorks like Arbor Elf and Elvish Mystic. These cards pair perfectly with Badgermole Cub
Badgermole CubWhen this creature enters, earthbend 1. (Target land you control becomes a 0/0 creature with haste that's still a land. Put a +1/+1 counter on it. When it dies or is exiled, return it to the battlefield tapped.)
Whenever you tap a creature for mana, add an additional {G}., whose mana generation makes it easier to add to the board and trigger Lonis multiple times a turn.
As the Clues start flowing, Jaheira, Friend of the Forest and Urza, Lord High Artificer let you tap those excess artifacts for even more mana. If you line up Academy Manufactor
Academy ManufactorIf you would create a Clue, Food, or Treasure token, instead create one of each., you can absolutely flood the board with tokens to tap.
At minimum, you can funnel all this mana into cracking those Clues, spinning Urza, or casting beefier creatures like Quantum Riddler. Either way, the card advantage gives you a pretty good chance of finding one of your many creature tutors, like Formidable Speaker or Nature’s Rhythm.
These can help you find Shrieking Drake, your primary combo piece. With Drake and either Urza or Manufactor, you can repeatedly cast, bounce, and replay Drake to make infinite Clues with Lonis.
If you have both Urza and Manufactor in play, this process will also net you infinite mana. You can even accomplish a similar task with Earthcraft and a basic Forest enchanted with Utopia Sprawl.
With infinite mana and infinite Clues, you’re all set to draw your deck and play out a boatload of creatures. Even if you can’t win the game immediately, the combination of Opposition and some counterspells as backup should let you win the following turn.
Strengths and Weaknesses of Simic
Thanks to its multitude of creature tutors, this deck is extremely consistent and punishes decks that lack interaction. Lonis shells are fully capable of racing White Weenie or Brigid, Clachan’s Heart decks with their combo draws.
Because Lonis also doubles as a card advantage engine, this deck can grind with Tasigur, the Golden Fang, and other reactive decks. Even if your Commander gets killed right away, it’s efficient enough to recast, especially given how easily this deck generates mana.
Slower decks also risk getting locked out by Opposition, which can be tutored with Pia, Aether Ascetic. Add in Harbinger of the Seas to demolish greedy manabases, and you’ve got a solid mix of hate cards that can steal games themselves.
As versatile as Lonis decks are, though, the lack of removal in Simic can be problematic. Even with your combo potential in mind, Tifa Lockhart strategies can assemble a blazing-fast Trample kill that your puny blockers can’t stop.
Getting hit by a turn two Drannith Magistrate
Drannith MagistrateYour opponents can't cast spells from anywhere other than their hands. on the draw before you play Lonis is also an easy way to lose a game. You do have outs like Unable to Scream, but you won’t always find them in a timely manner.
If that weren’t enough, you also have to worry about Torpor Orb
Torpor OrbCreatures entering don't cause abilities to trigger. and Doorkeeper Thrull completely shutting down your Clue production. These cards are staples of Phlage, Titan of Fire’s Fury decks, and you’ll need to watch for them at all times.
Ultimately, it’s understandable why Lonis isn’t a top-tier Duel Commander deck given its variety of weaknesses. Nonetheless, finishing top 32 in a 932-player event is no easy feat, and it may go to show this Commander deserves more respect.
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