“Listen up, you sorry lot! Only one rule for this mission: take no prisoners.”
Art:Siona, Captain of the Pyleas
by Chris Rallis
Table of Contents
Today’s Featured Commander Is:
Siona is a rare breed for decks we build in Pauper EDH, an actual legendary creature! Siona is a very fun aura-based Voltron deck that is a blast to pilot. If you have a player who is looking to get into the format, Siona is a great transition from EDH to Pauper EDH. Siona is fun and strong, and while she is quite strong, it certainly doesn’t feel overpowering, but she can absolutely compete with a ton of the decks in the format. If you like Selesnya or you like one-shotting your opponents I think you are going to enjoy this one. Without further adieu, let’s get it!
The Deck:
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Siona, Captain of the Pyleas Voltron!
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Why Siona, Captain of the Pyleas?
Siona is a huge part of our deck, and if we have no other Voltron creatures in our hand or on the board, our main target for all of our auras. I really like Siona and find her to be quite strong for the deck; not only does she provide strong card selection, but she also allows us to produce extra creatures, which gives us quite a leg-up in combat, which is something that not many Voltron decks can do. Siona is a bomb of a commander and a card we almost always cast on turn three.
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:
Transcendent Envoy
and Starnheim Courser
are both great cards that reduce the cost of a good majority of our deck, which can be huge and allow us to establish a huge Voltron creature and put a ton of pressure on our opponents. Beyond our commander, Aura Gnarlid
is one of the best Voltron creatures for the deck, and unless it has no lands, if you see this in your opening hand, you almost always should keep it. Heliod's Pilgrim
, Ironclad Slayer
and Lotus-Eye Mystics
are all strong pieces of recursion for the deck and are perfect if our Voltron creature dies and we want to get key enchantments back or if we are spreading enchantments around to multiple creatures and one of them dies. Shrine Steward
is the closest thing we have in the deck to a tutor, this card is very valuable, and we typically use it to grab the best of the best.
Instants:
Two of the best and really only removal spells in the deck are Generous Gift
and Crib Swap
, which, when used to take out huge permanents is the perfect switcheroo for us, these cards are both strong and efficient, and the downside of our opponents getting a creature is next to nothing. Nature's Claim
and Return to Nature
are great ways to take out artifacts/enchantments and can be great against pretty much any deck in the format. Wrap in Vigor
and Your Temple Is Under Attack
are both amazing ways to protect our creatures, especially against effects that try to kill our whole board.
Sorceries:
Benefaction of Rhonas
and Commune with the Gods
are both inexpensive ways to filter through the deck and find the best of the best in terms of creatures and enchantments, a great card to draw if we are looking for some of our bigger and better auras. Cultivate
and Kodama's Reach
are strong pieces of ramp for the deck, and while we don’t have a ton of huge things to cast, being able to cast our commander and more auras early, is always quite strong. We do have a little bit of hate, including Pick Your Poison
, which is a great way to take creatures/artifacts or enchantments, and forcing opponents to sacrifice can get around some pretty strong protections. We also have Atraxa's Fall
, which is along the same lines; being able to take out a creature with flying is great, especially in Selesnya, where we almost never interact with flyers within combat.
Artifacts:
We are quite light on artifacts because we have so many auras and enchantments within the deck, but every artifact we have is quite strong and impactful. Selesnya Signet
and Arcane Signet
are both strong pieces of supplemental mana and, if needed, can provide mana fixing for the deck. While Bonder's Ornament
is still a mana rock, we almost always use it for its card draw effect, and beyond our enchantments, it is one of the few sources of supplemental card draw within the deck. Last but certainly not least is one of my favorite cards in the format Wedding Invitation
, which is the perfect venue for a Siona one-shot but can also be strong with pretty much any buffed-up creature; the card draw is amazing as well for only two mana.
Enchantments:
We do have a ton of auras, but we also have some strong non-auras like Oblivion Ring
, Faith's Fetters
and Journey to Nowhere
which are all great ways to take out opponents threats and are absolutely perfect for commanders. I would say that the three strongest auras in the deck are All That Glitters
, Ancestral Mask
, and Ethereal Armor
if any one of these get placed onto our commander or our Voltron creatures our opponents have a very small amount of time before these get ridiculous out of hand and we get closer and closer to a one-shot. If we play any of these in the late-game it can be a swift death for our opponents. Setessan Training
and Rancor
are strong and cheap enchantments that give our creature trample, which can allow us to contend against decks that flood the board and have a ton of blockers. Cho-Manno's Blessing
and Benevolent Blessing
are both great pieces of protection for our buffed-up creature and can really hurt mono-colored decks.
Land Base:
We have a ton of strong non-basics but most of them focus on drawing cards like The Hunter Maze
, Tranquil Thicket
and Secluded Steppe
these and all of the others in the deck are great sources of supplemental card draw, and in Selesnya that is something that is absolutely needed. We don’t really have anything exciting in our landbase. It’s all quite typical, but I find it to be strong, and in fifteen games of testing had no issues with mana screw or flood.
Strengths of the Deck:
- We are quite strong in combat and can easily one-shot an opponent.
- We can put a ton of pressure on our opponents decently early in the game because many of our aura’s and creatures are quite cheap.
- Our commander is a strong source of card selection and a great way to generate more attackers and blockers.
Weaknesses of the Deck:
- We can be pretty weak to creature hate. We do have some auras that protect our creatures, but without them, they are quite susceptible.
- We don’t have a ton of removal of our own in the deck.
- We are in Selesnya, which means we do not have very many supplemental card draws.
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 for that we typically turn to our commander or other strong Voltron creatures like Gladecover Scout
, Aura Gnarlid and Qasali Pridemage
which I love as both a pet card and a great way to get an extra buff from the exalted. While it may seem a little unorthodox, I love buffing up Qasali Pridemage. We hit pretty hard in combat and can easily one-shot an opponent through either commander damage or regular old combat damage.
Conclusion:
Siona is a very strong commander and a great card for Pauper EDH. Siona is not reinventing the wheel here with a classic aura-based Voltrond deck, but it certainly is a ton of fun, and having additional attackers/blockers from her ability can make us stronger in combat. Siona is a ton of fun to play and is a great deck to bring out at a decently casual table. I hope you enjoyed this one as much as I did. Thanks for reading to the end and for all of your support!