Among all of MTG’s creature types, cats are one of the most beloved. On top of being surprisingly versatile, many of these cuddly furballs have absolutely adorable artwork. Not only are MTG’s cats resourceful, but they’re surprisingly powerful, too, and they might just be getting better. Thanks to Marvel Super Heroes, MTG’s first Cat God has entered the scene, offering a fantastic kitty Commander alongside a generally strong go-wide plan.
MTG Bast, Panther Goddess
Bast can turn even the smallest token into a relevant threat, as long as you have a board to support it. Between its mana value and Indestructible, this Cat God can come down relatively early, too, while being difficult to remove. This allows you to focus a bit less on defense, dedicating more of your list to executing Bast’s game plan.
The first thing Bast needs is cards that can easily go wide. Cat Typal has a lot of cards, like Arahbo, The First Fang, and Regal Caracel help immensely, but they’ll leave you weak to board wipes. To fix this, constant token generators like Felidar Retreat, Skrelv’s Hive, and Oketra’s Monument both snowball your board state and help you rebuild.
Once you have your board ready, Bast can start buffing your creatures up. While Roaming Throne can help double up, you’ll generally only be buffing one creature per turn. This allows Bast to play cards like Okoye, Mighty and Adored that can turn a small buff into massive damage. Cadira, Caller of the Small is particularly good here, turning mass damage into a bigger board state.
Some Cat Typal support helps Bast’s single-pump plan, too. Sovereign Okinec Ahau makes Bast’s buffs permanent, while Mirri, Weatherlight Duelist can restrict players to single combat. If you decide to go all in on kitties, traditional go-wide payoffs like Door of Destinies and Chronicle of Victory also become a lot stronger.
All of this gives Bast, Panther Goddess a solid game plan, but going late after a wipe can still be difficult. Fortunately, to help rebuild and keep up, multiple green card draw spells, like The Great Henge and Life’s Legacy, synergize well with Bast’s buff ability. Return of the Wildspeaker is particularly good here, acting as both a finisher and a card draw effect, depending on the situation.
Bast in the 99
While Bast may very well be the best go-wide Commander in Selesnya, she’ll also do a lot of work for other Commanders with a broader color identity. Jetmir, Nexus of Revels, Rin and Seri, Inseperable and Baylen, the Haymaker, for example, will almost certainly pick up Bast. The card should also slot into existing Cat Typal Commander decks like Arahbo, Roar of the World, too.
Thanks to its Commander viability, there’s a decent chance that Bast, Panther Goddess will see a respectable amount of demand. While this could make the Cat God a tad bit expensive, it’s impossible to tell the future. For now, it appears that many MTG players are excited to get their hands on this big kitty.
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