Hello everyone! I'm Levi from the Thought Vessel, and welcome back to Commander Kryptonite, the series that looks at some of the strongest commanders in the format, how they work, and ultimately, how to beat them. This week, we're looking at an elite commander from a strategy that's all but forgotten in Commander, mill. The commander I'm talking about is Bruvac, the Grandiloquent. So what makes this card such a threat? Let's take a look.

Bruvac was introduced in a Jumpstart pack. It seems like a very straightforward card: if an opponent would mill one or more cards, that player mills twice that many instead. This kind of design, doubling an effect, is fairly common. The issue with Bruvac is when you start to look at the commander for what it truly is: a combo piece.

Mill doesn't see much play in Commander, similar to burn, because of the added challenges in a multiplayer format. Instead of milling out one 60-card deck (53 cards after opening hands), you have to eliminate around 276 to 297 cards across three opponents. That's a tall order, but one Bruvac is built to handle. The deck can go in several directions depending on the pilot's intent. The most common is Persistent Petitioners, which not only double up with Bruvac's effect but also open the door for something like Coat of Arms to suddenly KO the table with combat damage since all the creatures are Advisors. Another route is universal mill, using effects that hit both opponents and themselves to set up alternate win conditions like Thassa's Oracle. Finally, there's the straight-up combo build, which uses cards like Mystical Tutor to dig for a one-card win like Maddening Cacophony to mill out the entire table at once. Here is an example of a Bruvac deck you might see at a local game store.

Bruvac, the Grandioloquent | Commander

• Commander (1)
• 1 Bruvac the Grandiloquent

• Creatures (31)
• 1 Consecrated Sphinx
• 1 Deepmuck Desperado
• 1 Defiler of Dreams
• 1 Dreamborn Muse
• 1 Faerie Mastermind
• 1 Fleet Swallower
• 1 Harbinger of the Seas
• 1 Hedron Crab
• 1 Hydroelectric Specimen
• 1 Jace's Archivist
• 1 Jin-Gitaxias, Progress Tyrant
• 1 Laboratory Maniac
• 1 Lier, Disciple of the Drowned
• 1 Manic Scribe
• 1 Overwhelmed Apprentice
• 1 Painter's Servant
• 1 Persistent Petitioners
• 1 Riddlekeeper
• 1 Roaming Throne
• 1 Ruin Crab
• 1 Sakashima of a Thousand Faces
• 1 Sakashima the Impostor
• 1 Shadow Kin
• 1 Silent Arbiter
• 1 Solemn Simulacrum
• 1 Soulless Jailer
• 1 Spark Double
• 1 Terisian Mindbreaker
• 1 The Mindskinner
• 1 Undead Alchemist
• 1 Zellix, Sanity Flayer

• Planeswalkers (1)
• 1 Jace, the Perfected Mind

• Instants (11)
• 1 Archive Trap
• 1 Brainstorm
• 1 Counterspell
• 1 Cyclonic Rift
• 1 Didn't Say Please
• 1 Dramatic Reversal
• 1 Mystical Tutor
• 1 Negate
• 1 Pongify
• 1 Thought Collapse
• 1 Visions of Beyond

• Sorceries (7)
• 1 Cut Your Losses
• 1 Fractured Sanity
• 1 Maddening Cacophony
• 1 Mass Appeal
• 1 Tasha's Hideous Laughter
• 1 Traumatize
• 1 Windfall

• Enchantments (6)
• 1 Court of Cunning
• 1 Memory Erosion
• 1 Propaganda
• 1 Psychic Corrosion
• 1 Rhystic Study
• 1 Sphinx's Tutelage

• Artifacts (9)
• 1 Altar of the Brood
• 1 Arcane Signet
• 1 Lightning Greaves
• 1 Mesmeric Orb
• 1 Mindcrank
• 1 Sapphire Medallion
• 1 Sol Ring
• 1 Thought Vessel
• 1 Thrumming Stone

• Lands (52)
• 52 Island

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What really makes the deck powerful is its color identity. Mono-blue has access to the best card draw and counterspells in the game. Since this is a relatively unusual archetype, many decks aren't packed with answers that specifically stop mill. With all of Bruvac's stack protection, a single resolved Maddening Cacophony can end the game on the spot. It could take multiple players using multiple counterspells to stop just one key spell. On top of that, Bruvac can win seemingly out of nowhere, giving it an element of surprise that not all decks can handle.

But as strong as the deck is, it comes with notable weaknesses. First off, being a mono-blue deck that doesn't want to win through combat means it's naturally not very good at it, especially when it comes to blocking. A big enough creature base can bully this deck before it has the chance to go off. Another issue lies at the core of the strategy,putting cards into graveyards can backfire. Some decks are designed to benefit from that. A card like Primevals' Glorious Rebirth can be devastating, potentially throwing an entire graveyard into play. Mechanics like Flashback and Delve also get stronger, and graveyard-focused strategies in general love being milled. Finally, while blue excels at protecting spells, it struggles with permanent-based threats. Mono-blue doesn't have efficient removal, so if a problematic card hits the battlefield, Bruvac might not have a clean answer.

Here are a few cards to look out for:

Maddening Cacophony - This is the ultimate threat in the deck. With Bruvac in play, it mills out each opponent and, unless there's interaction, ends the game. If this spell is on the stack, you need to either counter it or remove Bruvac. If not, it's over.

Persistent Petitioners - Some lists run over thirty of these creatures. Tapping five to mill someone for twenty-four is very efficient, especially with Coat of Arms or Thrumming Stone, which can flood the board or turbo out all the Petitioners at once.

Lier, Disciple of the Drowned - While a fringe include, this card can be brutal. It lets the deck recast its mill spells from the graveyard and protects key finishers like Maddening Cacophony by making them uncounterable.

Court of Cunning - Beyond just playing the game, Bruvac can play the players by introducing the monarch mechanic. The incentive of an extra card draw each turn can distract opponents while the mill continues.

Spark Double - A greedier pick, but devastating if it lands. Copying Bruvac lets you triple the mill from every spell, turning even minor effects into massive threats.

The easiest way to beat Bruvac is through combat. It doesn't want to play that game, so force it to. Make the Bruvac player trade off their important creatures. Pressure their life total. Force them to burn through their protection spells. Blue players want to play reactively, with information and timing on their side,so dragging them into a tempo-heavy game can tip the odds in your favor. If you have counterspells, try to keep one in reserve for their win attempt. And if you suspect they're setting up for a combo, let the rest of the table know so everyone can work together to stop it.

If you're still having trouble beating Bruvac, here are some cards to consider including in your deck:

Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre - The same goes for Kozilek, Butcher of Truth and other Eldrazi titans. These cards shuffle your graveyard into your library when milled or discarded. You don't need to cast them,just having them in your deck can break the mill plan. The only real way around this is graveyard exile, which mono-blue isn't great at.

Syr Konrad, the Grim - This card punishes mass mill strategies hard. If you've got 25+ creatures left in your deck and they try to mill you out, Syr Konrad can dish out a ton of damage in response,especially if you can exile your graveyard afterward.

Past in Flames - A great inclusion in any spell-heavy deck. If Bruvac mills your rituals, tutors, or removal spells, this lets you flash them all back and possibly set up a game-winning turn of your own.

Dragonlord Dromoka - As mentioned earlier, mono-blue leans heavily on counterspells and instant-speed interaction. With Dromoka on your side, they can't touch you during your turn, making it much easier to land haymakers and push through their defenses.

And there you have it, that's how you beat Bruvac! If there's a commander you'd like to see featured on Commander Kryptonite, send me an email at thoughtvesselshow@gmail.com. Until next time, happy gaming.