“My works are revered by worlds I have never even visited.”
Art:Ganax, Astral Hunter
by Aaron Miller
Art:Acolyte of Bahamut
by Kai Carpenter
Table of Contents
Today’s Featured Commander Is:
Ganax and Acolyte are an extremely powerful pair that serve a similar purpose, and that is to provide a ramp; Ganax provides a ramp by making treasure tokens every time a dragon ETBs and Acolyte makes all of our dragons cost two less, which is a game-changer for the deck. On top of all that, since we are in Gruul, we are able to ramp a ton with the cards in the deck and cast huge creatures as early as possible, combine that with a bunch of evasive dragons, and we can hit really hard, really early. I did have some doubts when building this one about the strength of dragons in PEDH but after playing and testing I was certainly wrong, this deck is not only fun it is quite strong as well! Without further adieu, let’s get it!
The Deck:
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Ganax, Astral Hunter // Acolyte of Bahamut Dragons!
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Why Ganax, Astral Hunter / Acolyte of Bahamut?
Ganax and Acolyte serve similar purposes but are both very important for the deck. Ganax provides a ramp in the form of treasure, and Acolyte provides a ramp in the form of making a large majority of our deck cost less. These are extremely important cards for the deck, and as soon as we have the mana to cast them, we cast both of them since they make the whole of the deck a ton stronger. We are a Gruul deck, so ramping is super important, and both of these help us cast the biggest dragons in the deck very early.
Deck Overview:
This section contains information about cards in the deck and how they function within the deck! I also highlighted some of my favorite cards in the deck!
Creatures:
Starting off we have some early-game mana dorks like Elvish Mystic
, Llanowar Elves
, and my personal favorite Scaled Nurturer
which is a great way to ramp and get some additional life. We have a ton of dragons in the deck, so let’s go over some of the best. One of the best is Dragonlord's Servant
, which further reduces the costs of our dragons in the deck and, when combined with Acolyte of Bahamut, can make everything in the deck, only one or two mana. Ambitious Dragonborn
is certainly a late-game card, but depending on our board state, it can get huge and be a massive attacker/blocker for the deck. Dread Linnorm // Scale Deflection can come down quite early and can’t be blocked by creatures with power three or less, which allows us to hit every time against a variety of decks. Fang Dragon // Forktail Sweep
is a very aggressive attacker that, on the adventure side, can harm aggressive strategies and token decks. Tiamat's Fanatics
is another strong and aggressive dragon, and since it has a myriad, it can hit all of our opponents. Stirring Bard
has been one of my favorite creatures in the deck since we got to enter the dungeon, and giving a creature menace and haste allows us to hit hard and fast. Speaking of haste, we also have Crashing Drawbridge
, which is another great way to give all of our creatures haste and swing hard and fast as well. Since we don’t have a ton of card draw throughout the deck, we have both Crimson Fleet Commodore
and Entourage of Trest
, which give us the monarch and can give us additional card draw.
Instants:
Big Score
and Unexpected Windfall
are some of the few sources of card draw in the deck, but since they also produce treasure, they are kind of in a hybrid position of being strong ramp for the deck and giving us cards. Dragon's Fire
strength is somewhat dependent on the cards in our hand, but if we have one of our bigger dragons, we can take out pretty much any creature/commander. Natural Reclamation
is a great piece of artifact/enchantment removal, and the cascade can be very strong and hit a variety of cards in the deck. We also have a ton of other artifact/enchantment removal like Abrade
, Return to Nature
, and Nature's Claim
, which are all cheap and strong ways to take care of artifacts and enchantments from our opponents.
Sorceries:
Just like a lot of the deck, we have a lot of ramp like Cultivate
, Kodama's Reach
, and Farseek
as well as a few more that help us get ahead on mana and cast our huge threats early. Atraxa's Fall
is a strong removal spell that can hit a bunch of things for only two mana. We can’t hit battles, but the ability to hit artifacts, enchantments, and flying creatures is very strong. Broken Bond
is another Explore
effect that can also help slow down our opponents. You Meet in a Tavern
is an awesome card that can provide us some nice creature selection, but more often, we hold it until we have a board established and use the large buff to finish off opponents and end the game.
Artifacts:
We have a ton of mana rocks, but two of my favorites are Jade Orb of Dragonkind
, which is a little expensive but buffs the dragon that was cast and gives them hexproof for a turn, which can be very strong against control strategies. We also have Carnelian Orb of Dragonkind
, which is great on its own or with Jade Orb and gives our dragon haste, and who can say no to additional pressure on our opponents. Beyond that, the rest of our artifact package is mana rocks, which help us ramp since we have a decently high cost within the deck.
Enchantments:
Utopia Sprawl
and Wild Growth
are great very cheap pieces of ramp that allow us to get ahead on mana as early as the first turn. Sticky Fingers
is one of my favorite enchantments in the deck since it allows us to make a creature hard to block and when they hit gives us treasures and therefore more ramp! Since we cast our commander as soon as possible, as well as a ton of creatures Master Chef
is a great card for the deck and makes every creature better. Dragon Mantle
cantrips and gives us some much-needed card draw and can be a strong late-game mana dump.
Land Base:
Gruul Turf
is arguably one of the best cards in the deck since we have a few ways to untap lands, and this can be a huge mana producer for the deck when we have that out. We have a couple of supplemental card draw sources like The Hunter Maze
, and The Autonomous Furnace
, as well as both on-color deserts. Since we have a ton of ramp and not a lot of card draws in the deck, all of these lands can be sacrificed with really no issue, and we can grab our cards if needed. Not too much to say about the rest of our land base, mostly consisting of basics, some “fetches” like Evolving Wilds
, and additional Gruul dual lands.
Strengths of the Deck:
- We have a lot of ramp that can let us get a fast start and cast our bigger dragons quickly.
- Our background makes a large majority of the deck cheaper and allows us to establish a board presence quickly.
- Our commander is one of the best ramp sources for the deck since every dragon generates a treasure token.
Weaknesses of the Deck:
- Generally weak to creature hate as we don’t really have any way to protect them from removal.
- We don’t have a ton of card draw and can often run out of cards in the late-game
Deck Stats:
Sample Hands:
Main Win Conditions:
There are no infinite combos or loops within the deck. We are a combat deck through and through and end the game by attacking. We have some cards that help already evasive creatures hit harder, like Master Chef and You Meet in a Tavern, which can be a great finisher for the deck. We are a ramp-filled, almost stompy deck that hits quite hard and often.
Conclusion:
Ganax is a very cool commander, and who doesn’t love dragons? Dragons are a ton of fun in nearly every format, and in Pauper EDH, that is no different. I hope you enjoyed this deck. It has been a ton of fun in testing, and before I started building, I really didn’t think that I would enjoy this deck or that there was a ton of dragon support, and I was wrong about both of those things, there is a ton of amazing, strong and naturally evasive dragons that hit like a truck. I have had so much fun with this one and I hope you did as well, thanks for reading to the end and for all of your support!