One thing I've learned in my 18 years as a Commander player is every Legendary Creature has the possibility of being a powerhouse. I'm not saying every Commander out there can be a Bracket 5 format-slayer, but literally any potential General out there has the chance of hanging in with even Bracket 3 games and giving the table a run for its money. And the formula is kind of always the same. I talked about them a few years ago in an article aimed at beginning deck-builders, but the truth is, these axioms are generally true and will help turn any old Legend into one for the history books. The basic rules are these:

• Run enough mana sources (Lands and ramp)
• Draw as many cards as you can
• Focus on doing one thing well, not lots of things okay

Today's choice from Edge of Eternities is one such example. Uncommon Legendaries reliably get a bad rap, and this guy isn't flashy. Let's take a look.

For five mana, with a decently challenging mana cost of and , we get a 4/4 with Deathtouch (kind of silly on a Creature this large) and Lifelink (which, okay). When he enters, he gives our team a modest +1/+0, which is fine, I guess, and he gives everything Deathtouch. That happens again if he attacks, so at least it's repeatable.

So, he's pricey and not super powerful. But what happens if, when we attack with him, we have 20 other Creatures on the Battlefield? If they're 1/1s, we're swinging for 40 power over 20 sources, each one of which will likely kill whatever blocks them. That's... well, that's suddenly a force to be reckoned with.

Let's do that, then. Let's make a bunch of tokens, swing for the fences, and force our opponents into ugly blocks or more damage than they realize. We're not going to be able to do everything we want, and some decks are going to beat us (a deck that Wraths the board every turn, for example, will eat us for lunch), but more often than not we'll make the table notice us with our surprising army of random tokens.

Syr Vondam, the Lucent | Commander | Mark Wischkaemper

• Commander (1)
• 1 Syr Vondam, the Lucent

• Creatures (3)
• 1 Archetype of Courage
• 1 Elegy Acolyte
• 1 Thalisse, Reverent Medium

• Planeswalkers (1)
• 1 Elspeth, Storm Slayer

• Instants (15)
• 1 Afterlife Insurance
• 1 Anguished Unmaking
• 1 Call the Coppercoats
• 1 Deadly Dispute
• 1 Empty the Pits
• 1 Entrapment Maneuver
• 1 Generous Gift
• 1 Grand Crescendo
• 1 Inkshield
• 1 Mortify
• 1 Secure the Wastes
• 1 Stroke of Midnight
• 1 Village Rites
• 1 White Sun's Zenith
• 1 Zealous Display

• Sorceries (19)
• 1 Alliance of Arms
• 1 Blot Out the Sky
• 1 Conqueror's Pledge
• 1 Dark Salvation
• 1 Decode Transmissions
• 1 Decree of Justice
• 1 Deploy to the Front
• 1 Entreat the Angels
• 1 Finale of Glory
• 1 Hour of Reckoning
• 1 Hymn of the Faller
• 1 Martial Coup
• 1 Necrotic Hex
• 1 Night's Whisper
• 1 Path of the Ghosthunter
• 1 Read the Bones
• 1 Sign in Blood
• 1 Their Number Is Legion
• 1 White Sun's Twilight

• Enchantments (10)
• 1 Campaign of Vengeance
• 1 Cathars' Crusade
• 1 Champions from Beyond
• 1 Defenders of Humanity
• 1 Divine Visitation
• 1 Intangible Virtue
• 1 March of the Canonized
• 1 Phyrexian Arena
• 1 Sothera, the Supervoid
• 1 Tocasia's Welcome

• Artifacts (11)
• 1 Agility Bobblehead
• 1 Charisma Bobblehead
• 1 Crowded Crypt
• 1 Endurance Bobblehead
• 1 Intelligence Bobblehead
• 1 Luck Bobblehead
• 1 Lumen-Class Frigate
• 1 Orzhov Locket
• 1 Perception Bobblehead
• 1 Skullclamp
• 1 Strength Bobblehead

• Lands (40)
• 8 Plains
• 7 Swamp
• 1 Access Tunnel
• 1 Adagia, Windswept Bastion
• 1 Bleachbone Verge
• 1 Bojuka Bog
• 1 Castle Ardenvale
• 1 Castle Locthwain
• 1 Command Tower
• 1 Concealed Courtyard
• 1 Dalkovan Encampment
• 1 Evolving Wilds
• 1 Fetid Heath
• 1 Isolated Chapel
• 1 Midgar, City of Mako // Reactor Raid
• 1 Minas Tirith
• 1 Reliquary Tower
• 1 Rogue's Passage
• 1 Scoured Barrens
• 1 Secluded Starforge
• 1 Shambling Vent
• 1 Shattered Sanctum
• 1 Shineshadow Snarl
• 1 Susur Secundi, Void Altar
• 1 Temple of Silence
• 1 Terramorphic Expanse
• 1 Vault of the Archangel

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The goal here is simple, straightforward, and consistent. We're going to set up a board, play Syr Vondam, lay out a decent number of Tokens, and attack like crazy. If we get Wrathed, we'll play some more Tokens and do it again. The entire deck is aimed at achieving that single goal.

The first thing we have is enough mana. 40 Lands, many of which tap for both of our colors, help us hit our drops even without ramp so we can pretty reliably play Syr Vondam on turn five. We've got some support Lands, like Rogue's Passage (great for when we want to keep our Commander alive through an attack), Susur Secundi, Void Altar and Midgar, City of Mako, both of which draw us cards, and Adagia, Windswept Bastion, which has more limited use for us but when it pops off will be awesome.

We've also got 9 mana rocks. I know, I know, most of you are like "OHMYGOSHTHAT'STOOMUCHMANA" but... it's not. It really isn't. We draw lots of cards, and we want the mana to pull off what we're trying to do. Among other things, we're running the Bobbleheads, which I'm quite bullish about. They work fine when what you need is a 3-mana rock, but when you start having more than one, they have relevant abilities we can use to great effect. Agility Bobblehead is a good one for when we have to recast Syr Vondam, and Endurance Bobblehead will be hilarious after blockers are declared by making the Tokens they blocked Indestructible. We also have an Orzhov Locket (draws cards late) and Crowded Crypt, which can give us one more gasp when we lose our army of Tokens.

Did you notice something there? We have Lands and Rocks which draw us cards. Perception Bobblehead doesn't draw, exactly, but it lets us filter and gives us a free spell (hopefully another Bobblehead, frankly). Look at that short list up there again: Draw as many cards as you can. Stick card draw in everywhere you can. You simply cannot draw enough cards. The more you draw, the more likely you are to be competing in the game you're trying to win. Elegy Acolyte is like Coastal Piracy for Black. Phyrexian Arena may not be Black Market Connections, but it's cheaper and costs us less life, so it gets the nod. Champions from Beyond makes Tokens, but more importantly it will very often give us a free Scry and Draw. Tocasia's Welcome comes down early and draws us cards every turn we make Tokens, which will not be rare. Village Rites and Deadly Dispute let us turn extra Tokens into cards, as does Skullclamp (a staple in Token decks if there's ever been one). Sign in Blood, Night's Whisper, Read the Bones, Hymn of the Faller, and Decode Transmissions round out our card draw spells, each working slightly differently but keeping those cards moving into our Hand. Draw as many cards as you can.

Our threats are, in my opinion, the most fun part of this deck. We have a number of ways to make assorted tokens, but rather than going with the little spells like Lingering Souls or Raise the Alarm, we're going with the big ones like Finale of Glory and Path of the Ghosthunter. This means we might get slightly fewer in the early game (we get one Token for 3 mana with Dark Salvation versus two for two with Raise the Alarm), but it also means they scale better with all our mana and ramp. Raise the Alarm is always just two Tokens, but Their Number Is Legion can be a lot more than that. I'm particularly fond of Call the Coppercoats, which absolutely roars when there's another Token player at the table.

We have a few board wipes with Martial Coup, Blot Out the Sky, and White Sun's Twilight, which have the benefit of leaving behind a passel of Tokens for next turn. We also have some point removal with Mortify, Anguished Unmaking, and Entrapment Maneuver, which is another example of using our thing we're doing (making Tokens) really well. Take that, Multani!

We've got a suite of Enchantments which support us. Some of them are a little win-more, but what's the point of playing this format if you can't be a little over the top sometimes? Cathars' Crusade counts every Token we make, so if we manage to make six at a time, it's going to trigger six times and every token gets +6/+6. Campaign of Vengeance makes blocking even worse than before, because they'll still take damage. Archetype of Courage is the sort of Creature which draws removal, and if it sticks, First Strike plus Deathtouch kills almost everything it encounters. Divine Visitation will cause a great deal of trouble for our opponents if it survives, and Sothera, the Supervoid makes blocking even more terrible, since they'll have to sac another Creature for each one they block.

Two particular cards should get particular mention. Zealous Display is the kind of card that will make your friends paranoid every time they play against this deck, if you deploy it right the first time. Casually untapping all your Creatures and giving them a power boost when someone thinks they have you dead-to-rights will not be forgotten soon, and you can use that to your advantage. The next time you're playing the game and someone is considering whether to attack you, just look at the three cards in your Hand, then smile, look at them, and say, "cool. What are you doing?" They'll think twice.

Inkshield is the same, but even better. Someone swings for 32 or whatever, and you drop that big boy and crack back next turn... they're going to wonder forever if you have it every time you pass with mana still up. Have fun with it, and play the psychological warfare games.

This deck is a solid Bracket 2 deck that I think can easily play at Bracket 3 tables. It's not going to win before turn eight, but it very well might win on turn eight, and it almost certainly will kill someone on turn eight if left unchecked. Due to the sheer amount of mana and card draw, it recovers well from a board wipe, and it doesn't have to overextend because each spell makes enough Tokens to be relevant every time.

I wouldn't bother putting more powerful stuff into this deck, but if you really wanted to, I'd start with the mana base. Get that really tight. After that, it's going to be about playing the deck and figuring out how to speed it up. That said, a rock, a support spell, and a couple of Token producers and you're going to be threatening the table in a serious way.

Thanks for reading.