I know it's a bit chaotic to have cards from the summer Magic set Secrets of Strixhaven already previewed when TMNT hasn't even been release and Lorwyn Eclipsed has been only been out for a few weeks, but I can't hold in my excitement. I'm so hyped seeing the cards they previewed!

Hyped for Killian, Decisive Mentor

I'm rather excited for Killian, Decisive Mentor. It reads, "Whenever an enchantment you control enters, tap up to one target creature and goad it. (Until your next turn, that creature attacks each combat if able and attacks a player other than you if able.) Whenever one or more creatures that are enchanted by an Aura you control attack, draw a card."

My initial thoughts turned to Eriette of the Charmed Apple. I built her around the time she released, back in Wilds of Eldraine. Her ability reads, "Each creature that's enchanted by an Aura you control can't attack you or planeswalkers you control. At the beginning of your end step, each opponent loses X life and you gain X life, where X is the number of Auras you control."

Eriette sort of encourages you to use auras to stop attacks on you, but the way I built her was by buffing other's player's creatures with auras. Those creatures wouldn't be able to attack me, so the idea was to make them attack my enemies. I played the Impetus Auras like Ghoulish Impetus and Parasitic Impetus and the vows like Vow of Duty and Vow of Malice with the goal of protecting myself while draining and dealing combat damage.

The reason I bring this up is Killian seems to encourage a similar kind of game plan. We want to draw cards and make our opponents' creatures attack each other and not us. Notably, Killian only cares that you control the aura, not the creatures, so attaching them to different player's creatures could give you a card on each player's turn.

Killian's ability to tap and goad something creates an opening for other players to attack in for damage. It's such a clever effect. The goal is to encourage damage amongst players and Auras tend to buff those creatures.

Goad isn't the be all end all, though, because it only applies until your next turn. It's finicky because a goaded creature can attack the player who applied the goad if they are the only player that can be attacked. You must be careful about your sequencing and when you play an aura.

Must Includes for the Deck

Killian, Ink Duelist is great tech in this deck. Reducing the mana cost of your auras by two is huge. Note that Killian's ability doesn't specify your spells have to target a creature you control to get the cost reduction, so removal spells are also cheaper with Killian. For a humble deck, Killian feels like a must include.

Hero of Iroas is another cost reducer that's worth including, and Pearl-Ear, Imperial Advisor would be a house here as well, reducing the cost of your future Auras thanks to Affinity for Auras.

Eriette of the Charmed Apple provides an alternate win condition beyond making your opponents attack each other. Goad can still leave you vulnerable the later the game goes, after all. If you're stuck in a 1v1 then you can drain your final opponent out while keeping their creatures from attacking you.

Grim Guardian and Wicked Visitor provide additional sources of drain. They also help to reduce life totals if a player has locked others out of combat with a Ghostly Prison and Propaganda.

My biggest concern with the deck is that the Killian goad engine might build up rather slowly without ramp. Your primary strategy is likely to earn ire and undesirable attention from the rest of the table. Something like a Ghostly Prison and/or Sphere of Safety could be important to protect yourself from errant attacks as the game progresses.

In terms of ramp, Smothering Tithe is an important inclusion. You will need the mana in later turns and it might be able to give you the edge you need to stay in the game. Archaeomancer's Map, Keeper of the Accord, and Claim Jumper are excellent catch-up ramp. I'm not sure if they'll put you ahead but they'll keep you from falling behind.

Killian himself is card draw but why stop there? Sram, Senior Edificer, Kor Spiritdancer, Mesa Enchantress, and Hateful Eidolon are all decent ways to draw cards outside of Killian. You'll need more auras as the game progresses which means drawing into them is important since you can't goad all of your opponents' creatures without auras in hand!

Of course, all of your auras can be removed if the creatures they're attached to die. Board wipes are the enemy. Running recursion like Lurrus of the Dream-Den and Sun Titan are good ways to keep your auras coming back. Resurgent Belief is risky because it's obviously telegraphed, but the mana cost and suspend count are small enough that it's worth including.

Brilliant Restoration and Replenish are great cards, but the former costs seven mana and four White pips and the latter is a $150 card. Sevinne's Reclamation is also so good and so worth it. Probably the best recursion we could include.

Another huge piece of the deck is going to be Ondu Spiritdancer. It's your classic two-for-one as it goads and taps two creatures for the price of one with Killian. I find this is the sort of on-sight card that needs to be removed posthaste. That's what you want from the cards you play in this deck, it's just a shame it's a creature since It's so easy to remove.

Lastly, you'll need to be able to tutor for your game-ending pieces. Heliod's Pilgrim and Open the Armory might be the way. Idyllic Tutor is also an option if the mana cost doesn't matter.

Wrapping Up

I have so many other ideas for this deck, but I don't want to take all the mystery and fun out of building it yourself. What would you include in Commander deck with Killian, Decisive Mentor at the helm? You can find me @strixhavendropout on everything.

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