Since their appearance all the way back in Alpha, Dragons have remained one of MTG’s most popular and iconic creature types, especially in Commander. Unfortunately, though, their typically hefty mana costs usually make them struggle in more competitive settings.
Still, there are exceptions, and Prossh, Skyraider of Kher is a great example. Blending Token and Sacrifice themes together, Prossh just boasted a top four finish at a 48-player event.
Cold Kobold Killers
This deck, piloted by Adrien Lopez, is built entirely to maximize Prossh and its unique triggered ability. Given how expensive this Commander is to cast, your first step is to utilize ramp elements to cast this bomb ahead of schedule. As such, you’ll find a plethora of mana dorks like Arbor Elf and Birds of Paradise as well as ramp spells like Flare of Cultivation
Flare of CultivationYou may sacrifice a nontoken green creature rather than pay this spell's mana cost.
Search your library for up to two basic land cards, reveal those cards, put one onto the battlefield tapped and the other into your hand, then shuffle. and Nature’s Lore
Nature’s LoreSearch your library for a Forest card, put that card onto the battlefield, then shuffle..
As you near the six-mana threshold, your next objective is to stick token payoffs so you can get extra mileage from Prossh’s trigger. Purphoros, God of the Forge is one of your strongest options, sending a massive wave of damage your opponents’ way as soon as the Kobolds enter. Alternatively, pairing your tokens with Yawgmoth, Thran Physician or Skullclamp allows you to pull ahead on cards.
Even if you don’t draw one of your premium sacrifice outlets, though, because Prossh also serves as one itself, you can reliably abuse all sorts of death triggers. As a result, Blood Artist, Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER, and Arnyn, Deathbloom Botanist
Arnyn, Deathbloom BotanistDeathtouch
Whenever a creature you control with power or toughness 1 or less dies, target opponent loses 2 life and you gain 2 life. all combine to increase your pressure.
If you don’t have sacrifice outlets to use, perhaps because your Commander got countered, there’s still no need to fear, as cards like Shared Animosity and Craterhoof Behemoth
Craterhoof BehemothHaste
When this creature enters, creatures you control gain trample and get +X/+X until end of turn, where X is the number of creatures you control. can push your tokens over the finish line. Plus, you even have access to Earthcraft which, when combined with your Kobolds, makes it trivial to cast Prossh again and again until the opponent is overwhelmed.
One Trick Pony
Ultimately, this midrange deck has a lot going for it, especially against other creature-heavy decks. Thanks to your numerous mana accelerants, it’s hard for these strategies to win before you cast Prossh. Once you do, you have access to a seemingly endless stream of blockers, and your Blood Artist effects provide a steady life buffer.
Having your Commander’s cast trigger be essentially immune to traditional counterspells is also a massive deal versus control decks. While the opponent can theoretically try to keep all your token payoffs from resolving, all it takes is finding Castle Embereth
Castle EmberethThis land enters tapped unless you control a Mountain.
{T}: Add {R}.
{1}{R}{R}, {T}: Creatures you control get +1/+0 until end of turn., and they’re in trouble.
Unfortunately, as consistent and powerful as this deck is, its one-dimensional game plan is still exploitable. Prossh decks must dedicate nearly all their slots to cards that support the Commander, leaving little room for disruption. As a result, this deck is naturally weak to opposing combo shells, like those centered around Acererak, the Archlich. Similarly, removing Drannith Magistrate
Drannith MagistrateYour opponents can't cast spells from anywhere other than their hands. is surprisingly difficult, which completely shuts your deck down.
On top of that, cards like Tale’s End
Tale’s EndCounter target activated ability, triggered ability, or legendary spell., which stop Prossh’s cast trigger from resolving, do pop up in the format and are quite a nuisance. Still, while these issues keep Prossh from being a tier one archetype, this big Dragon still has what it takes to compete.
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