In case you hadn't heard or weren't aware by browsing on this site for the last month or so, CommandFest Orlando is right around the corner! CommandFests are awesome ways to meet a bunch of new people, get in tons of games of Magic's most popular casual format, and immerse yourself in an awesome convention experience. This time around it's going to feature a whole March of the Machine prerelease! It's sure to be an epic time, and I for one can't wait for it myself.

That's right, I'm going to be attending CommandFest Orlando all next weekend! It's hard to ignore when an event is right in your backyard, after all. I'm excited to play tons of Commander and loads of Limited. With the event so close, I wanted to showcase the four main decks I'll be bringing with me to the event as some examples of what you can expect. I'm going to present each with three things to cover: what does the deck do, what makes it fun, and a handful of interesting standout cards from the list. I've covered most of these in the past, but it's good to check in and see how they look nowadays! Some decks may get a few small tweaks prior to the event, but they should largely be comparable to the lists below.

Let's check them out!

The Original Sharuum | Commander | Paige Smith

• Commander (1)
• 1 Sharuum the Hegemon

• Creatures (20)
• 1 Aphetto Alchemist
• 1 Archaeomancer
• 1 Glacian, Powerstone Engineer
• 1 Mnemonic Wall
• 1 Rune-Scarred Demon
• 1 Serra Ascendant
• 1 Sun Titan
• 1 Magister Sphinx
• 1 Palladium Myr
• 1 Phyrexian Metamorph
• 1 Sphinx of the Steel Wind
• 1 Thopter Assembly
• 1 Emry, Lurker of the Loch
• 1 Hanna, Ship's Navigator
• 1 Padeem, Consul of Innovation
• 1 Raff Capashen, Ship's Mage
• 1 Sai, Master Thopterist
• 1 Urza, Lord High Artificer
• 1 Memnarch
• 1 Sen Triplets

• Planeswalkers (4)
• 1 Jace Beleren
• 1 Liliana Vess
• 1 Tezzeret the Seeker
• 1 Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas

• Instants (12)
• 1 Brainstorm
• 1 Counterspell
• 1 Cyclonic Rift
• 1 Enlightened Tutor
• 1 Entomb
• 1 Fact or Fiction
• 1 Forbid
• 1 Into the Roil
• 1 Path to Exile
• 1 Return to Dust
• 1 Swords to Plowshares
• 1 Thirst for Knowledge

• Sorceries (5)
• 1 Demonic Tutor
• 1 Fabricate
• 1 Rite of Replication
• 1 Wrath of God
• 1 Zombify

• Enchantments (2)
• 1 Animate Dead
• 1 Pemmin's Aura

• Artifacts (19)
• 1 Akroma's Memorial
• 1 Chromatic Lantern
• 1 Crucible of Worlds
• 1 Darksteel Forge
• 1 Everflowing Chalice
• 1 Font of Mythos
• 1 Gate to the Aether
• 1 Howling Mine
• 1 Khalni Gem
• 1 Lightning Greaves
• 1 Mirrorworks
• 1 Mnemonic Sphere
• 1 Mycosynth Lattice
• 1 Nevinyrral's Disk
• 1 Prototype Portal
• 1 Sculpting Steel
• 1 Sol Ring
• 1 Time Sieve
• 1 Unwinding Clock

• Lands (35)
• 2 Island
• 2 Plains
• 2 Swamp
• 1 Academy Ruins
• 1 Ancient Den
• 1 Arcane Sanctum
• 1 Bojuka Bog
• 1 Buried Ruin
• 1 Celestial Colonnade
• 1 Command Tower
• 1 Darksteel Citadel
• 1 Drowned Catacomb
• 1 Flooded Strand
• 1 Glacial Fortress
• 1 Godless Shrine
• 1 Goldmire Bridge
• 1 Hallowed Fountain
• 1 Inventors' Fair
• 1 Mana Confluence
• 1 Marsh Flats
• 1 Mikokoro, Center of the Sea
• 1 Mistvault Bridge
• 1 Polluted Delta
• 1 Razortide Bridge
• 1 Seat of the Synod
• 1 Temple of the False God
• 1 Vault of Champions
• 1 Wasteland
• 1 Watery Grave
• 1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
• 1 Vault of Whispers
• 1 Volrath's Stronghold

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The Original Sharuum

What does this deck do?

Longtime readers will almost definitely recognize this one. This deck is my baby. It was my first true Commander deck and I've been playing it since 2010 to outstanding results. As you might expect of Sharuum, it's a combo-control deck revolving around artifacts. The idea is to build up your game plan to generate infinite mana with Khalni Gem, Aphetto Alchemist, and Pemmin's Aura. From there, you can go infinite with Rite of Replication on Archaeomancer and Demonic Tutor in your graveyard, Memnarch, or Urza, Lord High Artificer. Alternatively, the combo of Mycosynth Lattice, Darksteel Forge, and Nevinyrral's Disk locks your opponents out. If all else fails or you need an emergency button, Time Sieve and Thopter Assembly has your back.

What makes it fun?

While many of these combos seem oppressive, the reality is that they take a long while to set up. I explicitly opted to avoid easy wins where possible, so no Disciple of the Vault with Sharuum and Phyrexian Metamorph nonsense here. Instead, it almost feels like putting together a puzzle. Many of the combo pieces are expensive and fragile, taking time to set up effectively. That's why there's also a bit of a control element, countering spells and removing cards to get you to the point where you can hit that big finish. Along the way, you often run into big splashy cards that not only aid your battle plan, but also benefit the table as well. It strikes an excellent balance between being a powerful experience to play against and good fun for all players, which is why it's been my go-to for over a decade.

Standout cards

• Prototype Portal - This is one of the most underrated cards in Commander - especially for artifact decks! Did you know if you put an artifact land under it, it basically reads "tap, put an artifact land token into play?" Sol Rings cost 1. Sculpting Steel and Phyrexian Metamorph copies everything. Mnemonic Sphere is nonstop card advantage for you, or if you want to get real chaotic, stick a Howling Mine on it and watch the game speed up at a tremendous rate. The sky's the limit for your options, and it only gets better if you have an Unwinding Clock in play.
• Gate to the Aether - Everyone loves this card when it comes into play because so often they get to spin the wheel and play something cool. Yes it's a little group-huggy, but it works best in a deck like this where it helps you cheat out big stuff, is easy to recur with Sharuum, and the benefit to the table will keep your opponents off your back for at least a little while to help you build up.

Luck Vampire Mathas | Commander | Paige Smith

• Commander (1)
• 1 Mathas, Fiend Seeker

• Creatures (19)
• 1 Athreos, Shroud-Veiled
• 1 Auramancer
• 1 Bastion Protector
• 1 Bounty Hunter
• 1 Creepy Doll
• 1 Devout Witness
• 1 Ghen, Arcanum Weaver
• 1 Goblin Kaboomist
• 1 Goblin Spymaster
• 1 Gonti, Lord of Luxury
• 1 Hunter of Eyeblights
• 1 Karplusan Minotaur
• 1 Loyal Apprentice
• 1 Monk Idealist
• 1 Okaun, Eye of Chaos
• 1 Queen Marchesa
• 1 Soul of New Phyrexia
• 1 Tavern Scoundrel
• 1 Volatile Rig

• Planeswalkers (3)
• 1 Ob Nixilis of the Black Oath
• 1 Ob Nixilis Reignited
• 1 Sorin, Grim Nemesis

• Instants (4)
• 1 Argivian Find
• 1 Forsake the Worldly
• 1 Return to Dust
• 1 Swords to Plowshares

• Sorceries (7)
• 1 Cleansing Nova
• 1 Fiery Gambit
• 1 Game of Chaos
• 1 Night's Whisper
• 1 Open the Vaults
• 1 Ruinous Ultimatum
• 1 Wrath of God

• Enchantments (20)
• 1 Blind Obedience
• 1 Chance Encounter
• 1 Cruel Reality
• 1 Curse of Bloodletting
• 1 Curse of Disturbance
• 1 Curse of Fool's Wisdom
• 1 Curse of Misfortunes
• 1 Curse of Shallow Graves
• 1 Ethereal Absolution
• 1 Ghostly Prison
• 1 Goblin Festival
• 1 Impulsive Maneuvers
• 1 Mirror March
• 1 Outlaws' Merriment
• 1 Planar Chaos
• 1 Revel in Riches
• 1 Risky Move
• 1 Sphere of Safety
• 1 Tide of War
• 1 Torment of Scarabs

• Artifacts (9)
• 1 Boros Signet
• 1 Commander's Sphere
• 1 Crawlspace
• 1 Krark's Thumb
• 1 Orzhov Signet
• 1 Rakdos Signet
• 1 Skull of Orm
• 1 The Deck of Many Things
• 1 Treasure Chest

• Lands (37)
• 3 Mountain
• 3 Plains
• 3 Swamp
• 1 Arch of Orazca
• 1 Arid Mesa
• 1 Blightstep Pathway // Scarstep Pathway
• 1 Blood Crypt
• 1 Bloodstained Mire
• 1 Bojuka Bog
• 1 Brightclimb Pathway // Grimclimb Pathway
• 1 Canyon Slough
• 1 Castle Ardenvale
• 1 Clifftop Retreat
• 1 Command Tower
• 1 Dragonskull Summit
• 1 Forbidden Orchard
• 1 Godless Shrine
• 1 Hall of Heliod's Generosity
• 1 Isolated Chapel
• 1 Luxury Suite
• 1 Marsh Flats
• 1 Needleverge Pathway // Pillarverge Pathway
• 1 Nomad Outpost
• 1 Path of Ancestry
• 1 Reliquary Tower
• 1 Sacred Foundry
• 1 Savai Triome
• 1 Spectator Seating
• 1 Temple of Silence
• 1 Temple of Triumph
• 1 Vault of Champions

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Luck Vampire Mathas

What does this deck do?

The theme here is a little weird at first glance. What's luck got to do with vampires? Well, it comes from a fellow content creator who would refer to me as a "luck vampire." Basically, the idea was that I'd go into peoples' streams, suck up their luck causing them to lose, and then go spike a tournament with the stolen luck. It seemed like an interesting idea as I've always been quite partial to luck strategies in casual settings, so voila! Luck Vampire Mathas was born. Because there are only so many luck-based effects in the game, I rounded it out with some curse effects, though they're admittedly a bit of a mixed bag. They'll probably get removed eventually in favor of more luck-style effects, possibly prior to CommandFest as Mathas is one of the two lists most likely to get revisions before the event.

What makes it fun?

Rolling the dice (and flipping some coins) almost always makes for a very entertaining experience. In truth, I've very rarely ever had actual moments where this deck has performed well. But winning isn't really the point of it. It's more to have fun and the randomness of it without going into, say, Grip of Chaos or Scrambleverse territory brings that fun in spades. Win or lose, I've almost never had a bad time playing this deck and my opponents always seem to enjoy the games that we have when I bring it to the table. Always elect chaos!

Standout Cards

• Game of Chaos - Have you ever won a game of Magic to a coin flip? Game of Chaos lets you do exactly that in spectacular fashion. It's only a one-shot effect and you're rarely likely to take out players with this - even if you have Krark's Thumb on the field - but when you do it's guaranteed to make for an unforgettable story. I've only pulled it off once and it was epic.
• Impulsive Maneuvers - This card makes combat tense and incredibly fun. There's something to be said about the thrill of not knowing if you're going to get obliterated by the power doubling effect or if you're going to be safe for another turn. Every time it's hit the board in this deck, it's created a very unique and enjoyable experience for the table. Even better for the pilot: you're the one flipping coins and you have to do it for every creature too. All of that fuels your Chance Encounter, giving you an ever higher opportunity to win the game.

Lathril Elfball | Commander | Paige Smith

• Commander (1)
• 1 Lathril, Blade of the Elves

• Creatures (41)
• 1 Beast Whisperer
• 1 Birchlore Rangers
• 1 Craterhoof Behemoth
• 1 Elves of Deep Shadow
• 1 Elvish Archdruid
• 1 Elvish Dreadlord
• 1 Elvish Mystic
• 1 Elvish Visionary
• 1 Elvish Warmaster
• 1 Fyndhorn Elves
• 1 Golgari Guildmage
• 1 Harald, King of Skemfar
• 1 Heritage Druid
• 1 Hunter of Eyeblights
• 1 Imperious Perfect
• 1 Joraga Treespeaker
• 1 Llanowar Elves
• 1 Lys Alana Huntmaster
• 1 Miara, Thorn of the Glade
• 1 Nadier's Nightblade
• 1 Nightshade Harvester
• 1 Nullmage Shepherd
• 1 Poison-Tip Archer
• 1 Priest of Titania
• 1 Realmwalker
• 1 Reclamation Sage
• 1 Shaman of the Pack
• 1 Skemfar Avenger
• 1 Skemfar Shadowsage
• 1 Temur Sabertooth
• 1 Underrealm Lich
• 1 Wellwisher
• 1 Wirewood Symbiote
• 1 Wolverine Riders
• 1 Metallic Mimic
• 1 Ezuri, Renegade Leader
• 1 Izoni, Thousand-Eyed
• 1 Nath of the Gilt-Leaf
• 1 Rhys the Exiled
• 1 Savra, Queen of the Golgari
• 1 Storrev, Devkarin Lich

• Planeswalkers (2)
• 1 Freyalise, Llanowar's Fury
• 1 Tyvar Kell

• Instants (4)
• 1 Assassin's Trophy
• 1 Beast Within
• 1 Heroic Intervention
• 1 Putrefy

• Sorceries (7)
• 1 Agadeem's Awakening // Agadeem, the Undercrypt
• 1 Casualties of War
• 1 Demonic Tutor
• 1 Eyeblight Massacre
• 1 Haunting Voyage
• 1 Maelstrom Pulse
• 1 Pact of the Serpent

• Enchantments (3)
• 1 Harald Unites the Elves
• 1 Phyrexian Arena
• 1 Phyrexian Reclamation

• Artifacts (6)
• 1 Bolas's Citadel
• 1 Coat of Arms
• 1 Herald's Horn
• 1 Lightning Greaves
• 1 Sol Ring
• 1 Urza's Incubator

• Lands (36)
• 6 Forest
• 6 Swamp
• 1 Barren Moor
• 1 Bojuka Bog
• 1 Castle Garenbrig
• 1 Castle Locthwain
• 1 Darkbore Pathway // Slitherbore Pathway
• 1 Deathcap Glade
• 1 Gilt-Leaf Palace
• 1 Grim Backwoods
• 1 Llanowar Wastes
• 1 Memorial to Unity
• 1 Nurturing Peatland
• 1 Oran-Rief, the Vastwood
• 1 Overgrown Tomb
• 1 Path of Ancestry
• 1 Phyrexian Tower
• 1 Secluded Courtyard
• 1 Skemfar Elderhall
• 1 Twilight Mire
• 1 Unclaimed Territory
• 1 Undergrowth Stadium
• 1 Westvale Abbey // Ormendahl, Profane Prince
• 1 Wirewood Lodge
• 1 Woodland Cemetery
• 1 Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth

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Lathril Elfball

What does this deck do?

Ever watched an elf deck go off before? Then you should pretty much know what this deck does. It spits out a solid number of mana dorks, draws a bunch of cards, and chains them together to overwhelm your opponents and take them out with a massive Overrun effect. As someone well known for my affinity for Elves in virtually every format, this is an obligatory inclusion. Oddly, though, it's one of my least favorite to play because I'm not so big on the repetitive gameplay style in Commander. However, that's just personal preference and it's still a great option to play.

What makes it fun?

Elves have been one of the most popular creature types in Magic for years and it's not hard to see why. They're a very Timmy/Tammy strategy in a lot of respects, fulfilling the ramp and go-wide strategies that they so often love to do. Yet despite that simplistic premise, there's a surprising amount of depth and unique lines which appeals to combo-oriented Johnny/Jenny players as well. In addition, Lathril's addition of Black as opposed to, say, Ezuri, Renegade Leader's Mono-Green means you get a bit more variety in what your card effects do. It's small, but it means that it lacks the "every game is the same" sort of vibe that traditional Elfball decks tend to have.

Standout Cards

• Golgari Guildmage - Too often I feel like this card ends up forgotten by many players. The abilities are too expensive for most decks to be able to utilize reliably and having to sacrifice a creature makes it only enticing for certain strategies. In Elves, you both often have surplus mana and a decent supply of sacrificial tokens as well, making it a great way to get back creatures from your bin.
• Wolverine Riders - I frequently find myself forgetting about this card. Usually when playing Elves strategies, it's all about playing smaller, low mana value creatures as quickly as you can while drawing more cards. Wolverine Riders is a Verdant Force but for Elves and gains you life when the tokens come into play and when you put other elves into play like normal. I'm always surprised at how good it is when I play it, and it's very much worth playing even if you're not necessarily playing a dedicated Elves deck.

Precon-Plus Jirina Humans | Commander | Paige Smith

• Commander (1)
• 1 Jirina Kudro

• Creatures (33)
• 1 Angelic Skirmisher
• 1 Aron, Benalia's Ruin
• 1 Avenging Huntbonder
• 1 Baird, Argivian Recruiter
• 1 Blade Splicer
• 1 Captivating Crew
• 1 Cavalry Pegasus
• 1 Devout Chaplain
• 1 Fiend Hunter
• 1 Frontline Medic
• 1 General's Enforcer
• 1 Grim Haruspex
• 1 Hero of Oxid Ridge
• 1 Humble Defector
• 1 Kabira Vindicator
• 1 Kessig Malcontents
• 1 Loyal Unicorn
• 1 Palace Jailer
• 1 Sun Titan
• 1 Sunhome Guildmage
• 1 Thalia's Lieutenant
• 1 Thraben Doomsayer
• 1 Thraben Inspector
• 1 Verge Rangers
• 1 Xathrid Necromancer
• 1 Zulaport Cutthroat
• 1 Solemn Simulacrum
• 1 Alesha, Who Smiles at Death
• 1 Feldon of the Third Path
• 1 Mikaeus, the Lunarch
• 1 Odric, Master Tactician
• 1 Tajic, Legion's Edge
• 1 Trynn, Champion of Freedom

• Planeswalkers (3)
• 1 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
• 1 Nahiri, the Harbinger
• 1 Sorin, Lord of Innistrad

• Instants (3)
• 1 Despark
• 1 Generous Gift
• 1 Terminate

• Sorceries (5)
• 1 Ambition's Cost
• 1 Cleansing Nova
• 1 Doomskar
• 1 Painful Truths
• 1 Vindicate

• Enchantments (12)
• 1 Bastion of Remembrance
• 1 Ethereal Absolution
• 1 Martial Impetus
• 1 Oblivion Ring
• 1 Oubliette
• 1 Outpost Siege
• 1 Rally the Ranks
• 1 Sanctuary Lockdown
• 1 Search the Premises
• 1 Shiny Impetus
• 1 Showdown of the Skalds
• 1 Warstorm Surge

• Artifacts (6)
• 1 Arcane Signet
• 1 Boros Signet
• 1 Erratic Portal
• 1 Orzhov Signet
• 1 Sol Ring
• 1 Spear of Heliod

• Lands (37)
• 2 Mountain
• 2 Swamp
• 5 Plains
• 1 Barren Moor
• 1 Battlefield Forge
• 1 Bojuka Bog
• 1 Boros Garrison
• 1 Castle Embereth
• 1 Caves of Koilos
• 1 Clifftop Retreat
• 1 Command Beacon
• 1 Command Tower
• 1 Evolving Wilds
• 1 Exotic Orchard
• 1 Forgotten Cave
• 1 Grand Coliseum
• 1 Isolated Chapel
• 1 Lavaclaw Reaches
• 1 Mortuary Mire
• 1 Nomad Outpost
• 1 Orzhov Basilica
• 1 Path of Ancestry
• 1 Savai Triome
• 1 Secluded Steppe
• 1 Slayers' Stronghold
• 1 Smoldering Marsh
• 1 Spectator Seating
• 1 Spinerock Knoll
• 1 Temple of Malice
• 1 Vault of Champions
• 1 Windbrisk Heights

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Precon-Plus Jirina Humans

What does this deck do?

Jirina Kudro has always been one of those decks that I wanted to play but kept putting off. When the Commander 2020 decks dropped, hers looked like the most fun and I wanted to pick it up and try it out. As it happens, I ended up with all five of that year's decks, but since I never played any of them, I opted to take them apart instead. A few months ago, I was looking through my stuff and remembered I wanted to build her so I put this together. As it happens, the precon had many great synergistic cards, so many of this list's cards are from that deck, thereby giving this a very "upgraded precon" sort of vibe. This one also may see some upgrades, but honestly will mostly be in the lands front if anything.

What makes it fun?

It's a low barrier to entry and high synergy kind of deck. Given that this is very much a "cards I own" style of deck that feels like a preconstructed deck with about 20 cards swapped out, it has that beginner-friendly level of play that makes it highly approachable. However, while it's very easy to grasp, it also brings the pain, spitting out tons of creatures all going for your opponents' throats. With so many of my other decks relying on a controlling, combo, or generally quirky strategy, sometimes all it takes is a good old dash of beating face.

Standout cards

• Erratic Portal - Because of the simple nature of the deck combined with the fact that I've only had a chance to play it once so far, there isn't exactly a ton in terms of standout cards here. However, Erratic Portal makes for a particularly notable choice. There's a lot of good ETB effects in this list, ranging from Jirina herself to the likes of Fiend Hunter, Blade Splicer, Solemn Simulacrum, and Kessig Malcontents. That means you can get tons of great value for a low cost each turn. Even better, you can sometimes play politics with other players at the table by bouncing one of their creatures for some value or to help blow up problem cards from your opponents. It's highly versatile and you'll surprisingly get a ridiculous amount of play out of it.

Those are the four main lists I'll have with me at CommandFest Orlando all next weekend, starting on Friday, April 14th. It's going to be an absolutely fantastic time with tons of great games, friends, and fun experiences. I'm looking forward to meeting many of you there, so let's get some games in! Are you going to the event yourself? It's well worth it, and weekend passes not only get all the fun of Commander, but also an entry to the March of the Machine prerelease. I for one am incredibly hyped for the set and am stoked to check it out. You can be among the first to do so here on a wide scale like the old-school monster prereleases of old. No matter how you play, though, you're sure to have a great time.

I look forward to seeing you there!

Paige Smith

Twitter: @TheMaverickGal

Twitch: twitch.tv/themaverickgirl

YouTube: TheMaverickGal