Commander is a wonderful format, but figuring out where to start with it can be more than a little bit daunting. Despite only need one copy of any given card, it can often feel like you’re going to have to spend a lot of money to be able to actually play anything decent.
However, there are a few commanders who are excellent first picks for new players. This is because they play in an interesting way, they can win games, and they’re also not too expensive to build. We’ll be doing a few of these pieces going forward, but we’re kicking it off with
Alesha, Who Smiles At Death
Alesha, Who Smiles At Death
First strike
Whenever Alesha attacks, you may pay {W/B}{W/B}. If you do, return target creature card with power 2 or less from your graveyard to the battlefield tapped and attacking.
.
Meet your commander
Alesha, Who Smiles at Death
Alesha, Who Smiles at Death
First strike
Whenever Alesha attacks, you may pay {W/B}{W/B}. If you do, return target creature card with power 2 or less from your graveyard to the battlefield tapped and attacking.
is a three mana Mardu commander. That means you get access to red, black, and white cards because of them. They’re a 3/2 with first strike, but their main ability is that you can pay two black or white mana to bring a creature with two power or less back from the graveyard when they’re attacking. If you do so, that creature enters tapped and attacking.
Two power doesn’t sound like much, but it turns out that there are some absolutely absurd creatures that this can hit, and it makes Alesha a huge threat. The key thing is knowing what creatures you’re going to be aiming to bring back, knowing how to get them in your graveyard, and knowing how to keep Alesha alive.
So, let’s break down those three things, and you can start the glorious process of building your new deck, and then absolutely crushing your friends.
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The best creatures for Alesha, Who Smiles at Death
Honestly, you can basically put anything that has two power or less in here and be fine, but some are definitely better than others. Take
Master of Cruelties
Master of Cruelties
First strike, deathtouch
This creature can only attack alone.
Whenever this creature attacks a player and isn't blocked, that player's life total becomes 1. This creature assigns no combat damage this combat.
, for example, which can reduce an enemies life total to one if it isn’t blocked, which is absurd.
If you’ve got pesky threats in the way though, it helps to have cards like
Ravenous Chupacabra
Ravenous Chupacabra
When this creature enters, destroy target creature an opponent controls.
to get rid of creatures by just straight up killing them, or
Duergar Hedge-Mage
Duergar Hedge-Mage
When this creature enters, if you control two or more Mountains, you may destroy target artifact.
When this creature enters, if you control two or more Plains, you may destroy target enchantment.
to get rid of enchantments and artifacts. Being able to recur these creatures is huge for removing opposing board states.
Finally, it’s nice to have other ways to resurrect your minions,
Karmic Guide
Karmic Guide
Flying, protection from black
Echo {3}{W}{W} (At the beginning of your upkeep, if this came under your control since the beginning of your last upkeep, sacrifice it unless you pay its echo cost.)
When this creature enters, return target creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield.
does exactly that and has a power of two, making them perfect for this deck, and
Reveillark
Reveillark
Flying
When this creature leaves the battlefield, return up to two target creature cards with power 2 or less from your graveyard to the battlefield.
Evoke {5}{W} (You may cast this spell for its evoke cost. If you do, it's sacrificed when it enters.)
is an excellent target with that because they can then return two target creature cards with power two or less when they leave the battlefield.
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How to get creatures to your graveyard
Of course, you need to actually be able to get these creatures into the graveyard first, so you’ll need some cards to do that.
Vile Entomber
Vile Entomber
Deathtouch (Any amount of damage this deals to a creature is enough to destroy it.)
When this creature enters, search your library for a card, put that card into your graveyard, then shuffle.
is a creature with two power and deathtouch that allows you to fetch a creature from your library into your graveyard as it enters the battlefield.
Oriq Loremage
Oriq Loremage
{T}: Search your library for a card, put it into your graveyard, then shuffle. If it's an instant or sorcery card, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature.
does the same, but you have to tap them.
Buried Alive
Buried Alive
Search your library for up to three creature cards, put them into your graveyard, then shuffle.
is a three-mana sorcery that lets you plonk three creatures into your graveyard,
Entomb
Entomb
Search your library for a card, put that card into your graveyard, then shuffle.
is an instant that lets you find one,
Unmarked Grave
Unmarked Grave
Search your library for a nonlegendary card, put that card into your graveyard, then shuffle.
lets you get a nonlegendary card and put it in the graveyard, and
Final Parting
Final Parting
Search your library for two cards. Put one into your hand and the other into your graveyard. Then shuffle.
lets you fetch two cards and put one in your hand and on in the graveyard. As you can see, there’s no struggle finding fuel for this fire.
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How to protect Alesha
First up on the protection front we have two bits of equipment.
Lightning Greaves
Lightning Greaves
Equipped creature has haste and shroud. (It can't be the target of spells or abilities.)
Equip {0}
gives Alesha both haste and shroud, which is excellent in the early game, and
Whispersilk Cloak
Whispersilk Cloak
Equipped creature can't be blocked and has shroud. (It can't be the target of spells or abilities.)
Equip {2}
makes them unblockable and also gives them shroud, which is excellent all the time.
Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance
{0}: Remove target attacking creature you control from combat and untap it. (If you activate during end of combat, the creature will untap after it deals combat damage.)
is a one mane enchantment that allows you to remove an attacking creature from combat for zero mana. This means you can stop any damage befalling Alesha or any other creature you swing in with, and it’s an excellent little card.
There are also some great creature options too.
Subira, Tulzidi Caravanner
Subira, Tulzidi Caravanner
Haste
{1}: Another target creature with power 2 or less can't be blocked this turn.
{1}{R}, {T}, Discard your hand: Until end of turn, whenever a creature you control with power 2 or less deals combat damage to a player, draw a card.
is a three-mana 2/3 with haste that lets you make another creature with two power or less unblockable, which doesn’t help Alesha, but does look after everyone else, and you can even make it so that you can draw cards. Then you’ve got
Selfless Spirit
Selfless Spirit
Flying
Sacrifice this creature: Creatures you control gain indestructible until end of turn.
, a 2/1 you can sacrifice to make your team indestructible.
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Good Alesha subthemes
That’s all good and well, but there are two other excellent ways you can make use of Alesha’s abilities. For starters, you can add in cards like
Impact Tremors
Impact Tremors
Whenever a creature you control enters, this enchantment deals 1 damage to each opponent.
and
Mardu Ascendancy
Mardu Ascendancy
Whenever a nontoken creature you control attacks, create a 1/1 red Goblin creature token that's tapped and attacking.
Sacrifice this enchantment: Creatures you control get +0/+3 until end of turn.
to help you whittle down enemies without even having to attack, which is excellent if you’re up against a lot of enemies. It’s also even better if you combine it with the likes of
Rally the Ancestors
Rally the Ancestors
Return each creature card with mana value X or less from your graveyard to the battlefield. Exile those creatures at the beginning of your next upkeep. Exile Rally the Ancestors.
, which can bring back all of your creatures for a little bit.
On that topic, it often helps to be able to kill off your own creatures too, ideally at instant speed. That’s where cards like
Viscera Seer
Viscera Seer
Sacrifice a creature: Scry 1. (Look at the top card of your library. You may put that card on the bottom.)
and
Carrion Feeder
Carrion Feeder
This creature can't block.
Sacrifice a creature: Put a +1/+1 counter on this creature.
come in. They’re even better if you also make sure to include Curel Celebrant,
Zulaport Cutthroat
Zulaport Cutthroat
Whenever this creature or another creature you control dies, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.
, and
Bastion of Remembrance
Bastion of Remembrance
When this enchantment enters, create a 1/1 white Human Soldier creature token.
Whenever a creature you control dies, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.
, all of which will help you win every game you land them in.
With all of that know firmly lodged in your brain, you should be more than ready to build this deck, so go on, get to it.
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