“I would rather share one lifetime with you than face all the ages of this world alone.”
Art:Arwen, Mortal Queen
by Miranda Meeks
Pricing courtesy of Moxfield.com
Table of Contents
Todays Featured Commander Is:
Arwen is the perfect commander for a proliferate / counters strategy, not only can we easily move the indestructible counters from Arwen onto our key permanents we can easily proliferate the indestructible counters and pass them around, combine that with a bunch of ways to not only buff up all of our creatures and proliferate those as well and we are a force to be reckoned with!
The Deck:
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Arwen, Mortal Queen $150 Proliferate!
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Link to TCGPlayer to buy this deck: Arwen, Mortal Queen $150 Proliferate Budget EDH
Why Arwen, Mortal Queen?
The main reason we chose Arwen is that she is in Selesyna which is the perfect colors to be in for a proliferate / counter strategy and she allows us to move her indestructible counters onto key permanents and give an additional buff! Arwen can come down early and we can begin to proliferate her counters not long after, she is an absolute house and there is nothing worse than a key creature with an indestructible counter it!
5 Helpful Upgrades
These are in no particular order but 5 cards that will absolutely help if you are looking to upgrade this deck outside of the $150 budget!
A really mean card that is not only pricy but did not fit the theme of the deck, and often lead to too quick of kills. No doubt a great card but did not fit this build
The Ozolith is a super sweet card but was just too much for our budget, this card will absolutely make the deck better in every way!
Another super strong card this card will not only make us better in nearly every way but absolutely shutdown opponents who are operating with a similar gameplan!
Arguably one of whites best protection spell, this card is a house and keeps you alive! This card is great but for budget considerations was cut from the deck!
A great source of more counters and some card draw, we can cast The Great Henge super early and get its benefit from an early point in the game, this card was cut due to budget considerations!
Deck Overview:
This section contains information about cards in the deck and how they function within the deck! For explanations of the combos please refer to the “Main Win Conditions” section below!
Creatures:
Two of my favorite creatures are Abzan Battle Priest
and Abzan Falconer
both of which are great ways to add keyword abilities to all of our buffed creatures which in all honestly is nearly all of them! Arwen, Weaver of Hope
is one of the craziest creatures in the deck if it comes down early since it will buff all creatures coming after! Botanical Brawler
is another really cool card that allows us to get an extra buff when we buff for the first time a turn! An absolute proliferation machine is Contaminant Grafter
which not only can get the infect proliferation going but gives all of our creatures benefits for dealing damage! Even without a ton of mana invested Mikaeus, the Lunarch
can be a crazy powerful creature and a great way to buff up all of our creatures! Pir, Imaginative Rascal
is a super strong way to get more counters on all of our permanents!
Planeswalkers:
Elspeth Resplendent
is a great card mostly for her first ability which we will never say no to more buffs, we can often use her minus to grab a creature but it is not what we typically choose first. If we are able to proliferate her loyalty and ult that is never bad but it is not always something that we need to do!
Instants:
Two of our best removal spells are Generous Gift
and Swords to Plowshares
which are both ways to take out key permanents / creatures! One of our best draw spells is Inspiring Call
and also has the advantage of giving those creatures indestructible! Contractual Safeguard
is a really crazy card that allows us to protect pretty much all of our creatures or just one if we need it in a pinch! Our best defense against single target removal is Silkguard
which is a protection spell on top of a buff spell! Unbreakable Formation
is a card that we can use in both ways which is a great way to either protect or mass buff our creatures!
Sorceries:
We are a Selesyna deck so of course we have to ramp with sweet cards like Cultivate
and Kodama's Reach
both of which are efficient ramp spells that are format staples for a reason! Carnivorous Canopy
, Unnatural Restoration
and Wanderer's Strike
are all really powerful effects that also allow us to proliferate a true win-win for us! Overwhelming Stampede
is a great finisher card that after a few proliferations we can really start swinging and taking out an opponent!
Artifacts:
We of course have some ramp like Marble Diamond
and Moss Diamond
as well as Arcane Signet
/ Sol Ring
not too much to say here more mana is always good! The rest of our artifact package has some really key cards like Contagion Engine
which is an absolute proliferation machine and can hurt an opponents creature! Ozolith, the Shattered Spire
is a great way to make all of our buffs better or give a creature an on-demand counter! One of my favorite artifacts is Staff of Compleation
which we always use as an on-demand or once a turn proliferate effect!
Enchantments:
One of my favorite cards in the deck is Family's Favor
which is a great way to protect a key creature during an attack and get a card out of the deal. Cathars' Crusade
is one of the best snowball style cards in our deck and with just a couple turns with this out and it can get out of hand very quickly! Resourceful Defense
is a really great budget version of The Ozolith
and is just a great resource to have! Hardened Scales
is a great way to make our buffs and our proliferation just better for only one green mana. Hydra's Growth
is typically reserved for one of our bigger or better creatures as a great way to swing through and be a combat threat every turn!
Land Base:
We are a little light on card draw so cycling lands like Tranquil Thicket
and Secluded Steppe
can be great ways to get some extra cards! We also have sweet lands like Oran-Rief, the Vastwood
and Opal Palace
which can both put counters on creatures which is perfect for when we start proliferating! Karn's Bastion
is another really sweet card that we can use to proliferate nearly every turn in the late-game!
Strengths of the Deck:
- Easy to win combat with our big creatures
- In the case that our opponents have negative counters we can proliferate those as well
- Arwen is a great piece of protection for our key creatures
Weaknesses of the Deck:
- Weak to creature hate
- Not at on of interaction
- Not as fast as a lot of counter / proliferate decks in the format
Deck Stats:
Sample Hands:
Main Win Conditions:
We typically win through combat and proliferating an absolute ton but we also have some infinite combos! Below are the infinite combos in the deck explained!
Herd Baloth
+ Cathars' Crusade
Requires:
Cathars’ Crusade on the battlefield. Herd Baloth in hand. 3GG available.
Steps:
- Cast Herd Baloth by paying 3GG.
- Cathars’ Crusade triggers, putting a +1/+1 counter each creature you control.
- Herd Baloth triggers, putting a green Beast token onto the battlefield.
- Repeat from step 2.
Results:
Infinite creature tokens. Infinite ETB. Infinite +1/+1 counters on creatures you control.
Herd Baloth + Ivy Lane Denizen
Requires:
Ivy Lane Denizen on the battlefield. Herd Baloth in hand. 3GG available.
Steps:
- Cast Herd Baloth by paying 3GG.
- Ivy Lane Denizen triggers, putting a +1/+1 counter on Herd Baloth.
- Herd Baloth triggers, putting a green Beast token onto the battlefield.
- Repeat from step 2.
Results:
Infinite creature tokens. Infinite ETB. Infinite +1/+1 counters on Herd Baloth.
Urban Daggertooth
+ Triskelion
Requires:
All permanents on the battlefield. Urban Daggertooth has at least one +1/+1 counter. Triskelion has at least two +1/+1 counters.
Steps:
- Activate Triskelion by removing a +1/+1 counter from it, dealing 1 damage to Urban Daggertooth.
- Urban Daggertooth triggers, putting a +1/+1 counter on itself and Triskelion.
- Repeat.
Results:
Infinite +1/+1 counters on Urban Daggertooth. Infinite proliferate.
Requires:
Ivy Lane Denizen on the battlefield. Scurry Oak in hand. 2G available.
Steps:
- Cast Scurry Oak by paying 2G.
- Ivy Lane Denizen triggers, putting a +1/+1 counter on Scurry Oak.
- Scurry Oak’s last ability triggers, allowing you to create a 1/1 Squirrel token.
- Repeat from step 2.
Results:
Infinite creature tokens. Infinite +1/+1 counters on Scurry Oak. Infinite ETB.
Felidar Guardian
+ Restoration Angel
Requires:
Felidar Guardian on the battlefield. Restoration Angel in hand.
Steps:
- Cast Restoration Angel.
- Restoration Angel ETBs targeting Felidar Guardian.
- Felidar Guardian is blinked.
- Felidar Guardian ETBs targeting Restoration Angel.
- Restoration Angel is blinked.
- Repeat.
Results:
Infinite ETB. Infinite LTB.
Conclusion:
In conclusion Arwen is a really fun Selesyna deck who is perfect for any lover of counters or proliferation. While a non-budget version of this deck will certainly be quicker and more efficient this deck is still absolutely viable and a ton of fun to pilot in its budget form! Hope you enjoyed this article, thank you so much for all of the support lately! Thanks for reading to the end!