Hello and happiest of days to each of you! I created a deck I called the "Nexus" I thought I would go over how to play it, and build your version today. This is built around the interacting nature of SIX multiple creature types four of which are mega-popular in a Five Color brew and designed for kitchen table and then multiplayer. It embraced Highlander and then could be played in any format from Five Color to Commander and more.

It was designed around the interaction of Moggcatcher and then other Goblins to fetch out. It came from a backup Five Color brew I had called the "JV Squad" where I would include a bunch of specific stuff. When I would drop the Moggcatcher, I'd have a round or two to get ready, and then just win with the synergy!

Here's how.

The Moggcatcher costs four for a 2/2 Mercenary and then you tap it for three mana to fetch out a Goblin to the battlefield. Then you can the Assassin for a 2/2 uncommon five-drop with an ETB for each of your Goblins to flip a coin and then sac something for everyone at the table. Then if that works? Great! Sac something else, and then the next turn grab the Goblin Marshal to make a 3/3 six-drop and then two 1/1 dorks too on arrival, then if you have to sac from that trio, sac it first for two more. By now everyone will have dead boards save you! Swing and win and as others drop one or two dorks here and there keep leaning on the Moggcatcher and Assassin combo! Make Sense?

Here's my original article: https://articles.starcitygames.com/articles/the-kitchen-table-165-the-nexus/

Then here is my first Commander version for you all: https://articles.starcitygames.com/articles/the-kitchen-table-377-the-nexus-commander/

Let's start with the deeper dive into each of these various interactions!

Goblins!

The next thing I get after I drop the Goblin Marshal is this the Siege-Gang Commander with its five-cost, 2/2 Goblin body, three tokens for 4 flips on the Assassin and then the two-mana sac to Shock something for removal or kill of players. I also like the four-cost Black one above 1/1 with two tokens to sac all Goblins for free to drain a player of but just once-per with three Assassin flips.

I also adore the Tutor pair of Goblins, Goblin Recruiter and Goblin Matron. You can use them early to find Goblins and then draw them with the 1st or put it into your hand with the latter. Then you can drop it to get the good stuff.

The Rakdos legendary dork Wort, Boggart Auntie can bring back one Goblin to your hand from your graveyard in your upkeep great with what dies to your Assassin, sacrificed to your stuff, or just dies naturally. Then the three-drop uncommon mono-Black 2/2 Mad Auntie is next to pump your Goblin and then tap for no mana to regenerate one about to die!

Now let's turn to dorks with ETB to make Goblin tokens and then often do other stuff too. The Gruul- one-costs six and then it arrives with two tokens and they arrive with both colors and then your red/Green spells can be copied with conspire! Then the Commander/Multiplayer Classic four-drop 2/2 makes two 1/1 Goblins. Then the Giant costs seven, and then makes 1/1 Goblin tokens with haste equal to creature cost nasty with the Assassin and a brilliant win-con here.

The seven-drop 4/4 Goblin Dynamo can tap on arrival to shoot stuff. Then you can tap and sac it to shoot that and recur it with Wort. Then the three-drop 1/1 Arms Dealer has you sac a Goblin like the Siege-Gang for 4 damage this time but just to dorks. Also great with the Wort bringing them back.

Zombies

Next are the addition of the popular Zombie type as well!

Now let's look at why these are here - first with this duo! The first enchantment costs three in Rakdos colors, you can pump your Goblins....but they are now also Black and Zombies too! Then the mono-Red enchantment can spend one mana to sac a Zombie to, again, Shock anything! That intersection is why the type is here. Now everything that helps Zombies helps your Goblins too!

Now let's turn to their Lords! The best here is Lord of the Undead that pumps them all (your foes' too, sorry,) but then you can tap It with two to recur one from your graveyard to your hand! Then the three-cost Lord Death Baron can give them a boosted size and then then nasty deathtouch, amazing for trading up with them and making blocking your team bad math especially with your tokens. The Dimir three-drop with deathtouch Diregraf Captain pumps them and then drains your foe's when they die. Great win--con there, and with the Crusade out? That's all of your Goblin deaths too and to things like Goblin Assassin or Siege-Gang.

Next let's move to something that Zombies do super-mega-well! Like Lord of the Undead, it's recursion. Gravedigger great to bring back any dork - great in a dork heavy brew like this. The Dimir- 4/4 five-drop Zombie Wizard Havengul Lich can spend a mana to cast a dork from your graveyard this turn and then this gets those abilities too. Brillant!

In addition to recursion Black is brilliant at card draw too. The three-drop 3/2 with deathtouch ETBs and sacs a dork and then draws you two. Then the five-drop legendary one with an on-curve 5/6 menace body ETBs and then you sac any number of permanents and then draw that many cards - great with tokens to refill that hand! The best Zombie card draw is of course the Hill Giant one that draws in your upkeep your Zombie count! Great with the Crusade here.

Merfolk

Now let's turn to the next popular creature type, Merfolk!

This type also has a Moggcatcher style card to build around - this is also on a four-drop 2/2 body and then taps for three and with the Mercenary type. Then the four-cost Islandwalk one will Tutor for the best one to the top of your library to draw later.

Now some great Merfolk lords are next. Merfolk Sovereign gives them +1/+1 and then taps for no mana to make one unblockable. Merrow Reejerey will tap or untap something when you cast them on a Lord three-drop body as well.

Need a backup win-con? Gotcha with this duo! The two-drop 1/2 can be given flying for a mana and then has a combat damage trigger to spend two and then exile a card from their deck - do that to win-cons and then they cannot hurt you. The blocky 1/3 three-mana Blue one can spend three mana without tapping to mill someone three, great to also attack their library.

Deeproot Historian gives your Merfolk and Druids too retrace to cast them from your graveyard by discarding that land. More great recurison there! Then the mono-Blue three-drop on-curve Emperor Mihail II lets you look at the top card of your library and then cast it if a Merfolk is there! And then when you cast them you can spend a mana to make a 1/1 Blue one!

The three-drop Kumena, Tyrant of Orazca and its blocking body is here with a trio of tap abilities - where you can tap Merfolk for stuff. One tap will make him unblockable, three will draw a card and five toss a +1/+1 counters on them all! Speaking of, that is the one-drop 1/1 Mindspring Merfolk to tap for Braingeyser mana draw that many cards and then, again, toss a counter on all Merfolk. But once per dork while out. Nasty way to finish the Merfolk!

Elves

Now let's turn to the next and final popular creature type we have!

Like Seahunter and Moggcatcher, Elves have Skyshroud Poacher, and then taps with three to tutor one to the battlefield from your library! But this ain't a Merc but a Rebel....the three-drop Standard-legal Fierce Empath will tutor any pricey thing to your hand, love it since any group can be tutored for!

Elves have great Lords too, many great once, but I tend to stick to ones with extra abilities to round out our brew. The four-drop legendary one with a 3/4 size pumps them, has reach too and then when she swings you can gain life equal to the other attacking ones. Great life gain in non-Commander 20 life brews to extend the game or in 40 life ones too. Then the three-drop Lord is next and pumps your team and then taps for mana equal to your Elf count! Brillant mana maker there. The final 2/1 three-drop is harder to cast but taps for G mana equal to your dork count too! Nasty here! Note many Elves are Druids for the retracing.

I love Elves not being big, but instead finishing out what we need, like non-dork removal with the Reclamation Sage, a three-drop Elf Shaman, or ramp for lands like the also 1/1 three-drop Wood Elves that puts a Forest onto play and it arrives untapped and can be a dual and or tri or even the hard to cast flashing four-cost Frilled Mystic as our only counter we have in our kindred types.

Mercs

As you may have noticed two of our Hunters are Mercenaries! That's why you'll need Merc searchers for a four-cost or bigger to grab one to ensure it happens. The five-cost uncommon 4/3 size with fear is first and then can get a four-drop with it! Then the seven-cost rare 7/5 can tap for six for a free six-drop or less. Need to keep him alive? Just sac any dork to regenerate, no tapping or mana needed!

The six-drop 5/5 swampwalker Cateran Slaver can tap for five to fetch out a five-cost and then the four-drop Rathi Assassin one can tap for three to fetch one out and then also tap with three to destory a tapped non-Black dork. Love that EOT and then kill what swung your way when you untap next turn.

The three-drop Mercenary in Black will tap and sac for a mana and then Zombify a dork of any type to your battlefield - brilliant recursion and EOT can be great to bring back something they weren't expecting! The two-cost 2/1 Merc can spend four mana without tapping to destroy a blocking dork, amazing when they weren't expecting it on your turn.

Rebels

People loved Rebels when they debuted, here you are digging until get the Green Elf hunter. The classic one-drop 1/1 can tap with three to grab a two-drop and then the legendary that broke that era and block and was banned has a blockable 1/3 size for three-mana and then can tap with X to grab that four or anything else onto our battlefield and then doesn't tap to reload Rebel stuff to your library from your graveyard.

The two-drop common Amrou Scout is what you get from the Sergeant to grab Lin-Sivvi. You tap her with four mana. Then the three-drop uncommon Defiant Vanguard can get the Elf Hunter too as a backup Lin-Sivvi, but I prefer it when someone swings your way to chump and then kill them both outta nowhere. Then reload it with Lin-Sivvi and get it again! Then the four-drop rare legendary 2/2 Cho-Manno, Revolutionary is amazing at holding that line with his inability to take any damage from any source!

Rebels have two great tappers to lock and then get your swing on early or Commanders late. The two-drop, on-curve Whipcorder has morph for one and then taps with one too to tap anything. Then the 1/2 Rathi Trapper will tap one mana too and tap it. Then the three-cost madness 1/1 Big Game Hunter can destroy any bigger thing when it arrives, love that much in here too as a great Rebel tutor outta nowhere!

Changelings

Now let's turn to changeling stuff that have all of our 6 dork types to fetch out or make our stuff big again. The must-play four-cost rock above gives all of your dorks changeling nasty here even in your graveyard or deck! Then tap it for 3 to make a changeling 2/2 Blue dork. Then the seven-drop colorless with all five colors legendary - great for leading will choose a critter type on arrival and then pump them and then also cast them cheaply.

The three-cost instant Crib Swap is a Changeling spell and will exile a dork great answer, and then leave them a 1/1 changeling. Then the two-cost Nameless Inversion with changeling will +3 and then -3 a dork either great combat trick for you or removal for your foe's smaller stuff. Then the 1/3 Green common Masked Vandal will ETB and then exile a dork from your graveyard to exile an artifact or enchainment from your foe. Great swap!

Now let's turn to Jund win-con beaters! The four-drop on-curve Green one 4/4 with pro Black can spend four mana over and over again to get your win on! Then the one-drop common in Black is an unblockable 1/1! Then the one in Red will grow in size as foes cast anything! Nasty game winner the more foes you have!

Mirror Entity is a mana-sinking one for X mana win con that makes all of your team that mana spent and all types. Amazing! Then Amoeboid Changeling for nothing to do that to a dork or to pull them off of a foe's if that works.

Now let's turn to these two great four-drop ETB 2/2 dorks with changeling! The White common makes a 2/2 changeling dork when it ETBs. Four mana and 4/4! Them the Black one can act as a changeling Gravedigger - great pair!

The five-cost Simic legendary Moritte of the Frost is first. You can make it a copy of anything you control save it keeps changeling and is bigger if you copied a dork. The mono-Green three-drop rare 2/3 has the ability to choose a type on arrival and then cast them from the top of your library. Love that card flow much!

Support Spells

Now let's turn to support spells! The five-cost artifact will give all stuff boosts equal to the number of their creature type - brilliant with each of your tribes not needing just one Lord or such. But it works for your foe's stuff too, so get ready to be helping them if in a kindred brew! Then the mono-Black enchantment costs five too! You name a kindred type and then all of your stuff is now it, from the hand to the deck. I use this for when I have that searcher out, so from Mercs to Elves to get what is needed.

Next up are this Blue duo! The two-cost rare enchantment can spend a mana to make any creature that type for the turn. Love it much! You can also do it with foes to change up their types to remove it. Then the uncommon five-drop small size 2/3 has flying, you can spend a mana to give it any dork-type and then tap it with four mana to make all of your stuff that chosen type that turn. Great for lords or Coat of Arms to get in surprise kill!

I don't like too many colorless tappers in a Five Color but these are key. The first two tap for colorless, arrive untapped and then tap to regenerate something. The first costs no mana but only things like Rats or Insects, not in my brew so just changelings. Then the latter taps with two to regenerate to save your Zombies and other undead types which are here. Yay! Then the land one also taps for colorless but with a Black to reload a Zombie to the top of your library from your graveyard!

How to Play:

Now let's finish with notes on how to play the Nexus. The idea here is to find and then drop Moggcatcher with your Merc chains, and then don't cast anything else. Just ride him to victory by tapping that three mana each turn until you win. You might want to cast other stuff. You don't wanna walk into a Wrath of God. Only do it if you are about to discard. Run Reliquary Tower and other stuff to stop that. Save your removal for the big stuff, and then only cast something if you'll win the game like Chancellor of the Forge.

If our Moggcatcher is answered, then use your Mercs to move into Merfolk Seahunter territory or try to find a way to bring it back with Gravedigger or the Necromancer. Grab all of the Merfolk good stuff, not as great or synergetic, but with Kumena and Lords and the others you can win. But slower. If they are answered or you drew a Rebel chain or the Skyshroud Poacher proper then lean into that and then don't bother with the other stuff. Run all of the Elf stuff too.

Keep safe for Wrath-age and you might want to run some combat tricks like Heroic Intervention or counters like Negate to save your team. You might also wanna draw all sorts of nonsense like with Distant Melody or just get some instant speed emergency dinghies like Beast Within or Generous Gift to answer something when you have to. Eyeblight's Ending might also fit.

You could also toss in more tribal lands like Goblin Warrens or untap an Elf with Wirewood Lodge. Skemfar Elderhall? Three Tree City for Goblins? Ponyback Brigade? Goblin Goliath?? The Infamous Cruelclaw? Silver Deputy? Claim Jumper? Imagecrafter can tap to make a dork one type to make sure you have it.

Build your Nexus deck the way you want to and then ride them to victory and then I'm sure you'll wanna abuse and get your smash on! Again, love that with Morophon as your Commander if that's your format since he's every creature type in your brew.