This may end up being my last Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles column, though I have a silly Bracket 1 idea that I do need to throw together before all is said and done.

Secrets of Strixhaven (SOS) is no longer just on the horizon - it's right around the corner and we've already seen some very exciting and very powerful cards get spoiled. I love building around Dragons, but before I channel my inner Abba fan and write about SOS, I wanted to take one last crack at building a hybrid mana Turtles deck.

Don & Leo, Problem Solvers is a 4/6 Mutant Ninja Turtle with Vigilance.

Their party trick is that at the beginning of my end step I'll exile one of my Artifacts and one of my Creatures and return them to the battlefield under my control.

Exiling and immediately returning a card is generally called Blinking, while returning the exiled permanents at the next end step is called Flickering, though some players use the two terms interchangeably.

Today's build is an experiment in seeing how much value I can squeeze out of Creatures with Enter the Battlefield (ETB) triggers without overshooting the power levels of the group I play with. That group mainly plays Bracket 2 and Bracket 3 EDH, so I definitely need interaction and a way to try to win, but I don't want to make for an oppressive game experience.

I've been avoiding Game Changers for my Bracket 3 decks and this playgroup also tries to avoid running Sol Ring, so you'll have plenty of room to move this deck up in power if you like how it looks.

First Stop: Valuetown

To maximize the value I get out of Don & Leo, Problem Solvers, I'm going to always want to have at least one useful blink target at the end of my turn that's a Creature, and at least one that's an Artifact.

Aether Channeler is the kind of flexible ETB dork that this deck is looking for. When it enters, this Human Wizard will have me choose one of three rewards:

1. I can create a 1/1 White Bird token with Flying
2. I can return another target nonland permanent to its owner's hand or;
3. I can draw a card

I'm running a few other Creatures that can put cards in my hand, but Aether Channeler is probably the most interesting.

It's notable that I'm not running Mulldrifter. My Commander's Blink ability happens on the end step, so I can't evoke Mulldrifter and then Blink it in response to its sacrifice trigger.

Card draw is important, and Coveted Jewel should be well worth its six-mana casting cost. This Artifact taps to make 3 mana of any one color, but more importantly I'll draw three cards when it enters the battlefield.

If I can do that, use it to produce mana, and flicker it on my end step to draw another three, I'll be very happy. Whenever one or more Creatures an opponent controls attack me and aren't blocked, that player will draw three cards and gain control of Coveted Jewel, so there's no guarantee I'll keep it for long.

Artifact Creatures are particularly good for Don & Leo because they can be blinked as an Artifact or as a Creature on my end step. Circuit Mender will gain me two life when it enters and draw me a card when it leaves.

Also in the list are Skyscanner, Pilgrim's Eye, Skittering Surveyor, and an old standby - Solemn Simulacrum. Skyscanner's ETB will draw me a card. Pilgrim's Eye and Skittering Surveyor will tutor a basic Land to my hand. Solemn Simulacrum will tutor a Land to the battlefield tapped, and if it dies I'll draw a card.

Arcanist's Owl is a 3/3 Bird with Flying and a fun ETB trigger. When it enters, I'll look at the top four cards of my library and I can choose to reveal an Artifact or Enchantment from among them and put it into my hand.

About a fifth of my deck is either an Artifact or an Enchantment, so my chances aren't terrible, and if I'm able to play it and then blink it on the end step, I have a decent chance of putting a card into my hand.

Removal is best done at Instant speed, but I do have a few Creatures that can get rid of a problem permanent. Riptide Gearhulk is a Construct with Double Strike and Prowess. When it enters, for each opponent I can put up to one target nonland permanent that player controls into its owner's library third from the top.

I'm also running Reflector Mage, which can bounce a Creature to hand, and Venser, Shaper Savant, which has Flash and can return target spell or permanent to its owner's hand.

I decided to run two versions of Appa from Avatar: The Last Airbender. Appa, Loyal Sky Bison is a Bison Ally with Flying that will let me either give target Creature I control Flying, or Airbend another target nonland permanent I control. That is an enters or attacks trigger, so it's repeatable.

Appa, Steadfast Guardian has Flash and Flying and will let me Airbend any number of target nonland permanents I control when it enters. With Steadfast Guardian in play, whenever I cast a spell from exile I'll create a 1/1 White Ally token. Airbending has me exile a Creature and will let me recast it from exile for .

I have an entire deck built around Appa, Steadfast Guardian, but in this list it will simply give me another way to get additional enter the battlefield triggers with Creatures I might also want to blink on the end step.

How We Win

Any Azorius control deck is going to win games in part because of interaction and knowing what you have to deal with and when. You can attempt to counter every spell you don't like or remove only permanents controlled by someone who is annoying you, but when you have three tablemates that's usually not going to end well.

Folks don't like having their stuff removed, and you're not the only one looking for an excuse to mess with someone else in the game.

I generally try to keep my interaction, including both countermagic and removal, for when there's something that is going to really hurt my ability to try to win the game. On the rare instances where I help or even save a tablemate from death, it's usually because I need their help in overcoming someone else in the game.

Even if I don't make an explicit deal, it's rare for a player I just saved to not understand that they're now on my team and will leave me for last if they end up going for the win.

If part of how I win in these colors is by being very careful with politics and interaction, the other part is by playing a handful of fairly powerful cards that can absolutely win the game.

Malcator, Purity Overseer is not the next Craterhoof Behemoth, but it represents this deck's commitment to making an army of token Creatures. Between Malkator, Blade Splicer, Darksteel Splicer, Sensor Splicer, Wing Splicer, and Master Splicer, I've got a subtheme of making 3/3 Golem Creature tokens.

With enough Blinking, Airbending, Flickering, and just playing these token generators, I could theoretically have an army of Golems with Vigilance, Flying, Indestructible, and even a +1/+1 anthem effect from Master Splicer.

Any army wants to be able to swing unblocked so I'm running Githzerai Monk and Subjugator Angel as ways to tap down my opponents' Creatures. If I use Don & Leo to Blink them on the end step, I might be throwing the player to my right under the bus, but that's just how it goes sometimes.

These two Creatures will tap all Creatures my opponents control, which will feel great in my first main phase, but still pretty good if I'm setting some of my opponents up to not have blockers.

This isn't the most Artifact intensive deck I've ever brewed up, but All That Glitters, Adaptive Omnitool, and Nettlecyst each have a place in this list to help me amplify a single Creature's damage output. All That Glitters is an Enchantment that gives +1/+1 for each Artifact and/or Enchantment I control.

Adaptive Omnitool is an Equipment that gives +1/+1 for each Artifact I control and has an attack trigger that has me look at the top six cards of my library and put an Artifact from among them into my hand. Nettlecyst is a Living Weapon Equipment that will create a 0/0 Germ Creature token when it enters play and will give equipped Creature +1/+1 for each Artifact and/or Enchantment I control.

The more powerful wincons in this list have a bigger impact than just a single aura or Equipment.

Akroma's Will is an Instant that will give my Creatures either Flying, Vigilance, and Double Strike, or will give them Lifelink, Indestructible, and Protection from each color. If I control my Commander I may choose both, and the effect lasts until end of turn. With a big enough board, this can often kill an opponent and leave me with a much healthier life total.

Cathars' Crusade is an Enchantment that can win games, but it won't do it out of nowhere. With this card in play, whenever a Creature enters the battlefield under my control I will put a +1/+1 counter on each of my Creatures. That means I'll be slowly growing my army as I play my deck, and my hope is to eventually have them be large enough to push for a win.

Moonshaker Cavalry might be the worst card in the deck for end of turn Blinking, but it's a real banger if I'm able to play or blink it in my precombat main phase. When the "White Craterhoof" enters play, this 6/6 Spirit Knight with Flying will give my Creatures Flying and +X/+X until end of turn where X is the number of Creatures I control.

Ultimately my goal is to assemble a decent board of blink targets and support pieces to draw cards and ramp a bit. If things go well and I draw enough cards I should be able to assemble a decent army and possibly even threaten a win. I'm not running tutors, and I don't mind a little more variance in my game.

Don & Leo's Bouncy Castle

If I had to give a goofy name to this deck, it would probably be something like Don & Leo's Bouncy Castle.

Not only do I have my Commander and a couple of Appas in the mix, I'm also running Brago, King Eternal, Soulherder, Eldrazi Displacer, and Oji, the Exquisite Blade as ways to add a few more ETBs to my game. Cloudshift and Panharmonicon are also in the mix, but I could have leaned even more into those kinds of effects.

This list is meant to be played at lower powered tables, so I didn't add in some key staples for this kind of deck, and I didn't include any combos. I don't have a problem with combos but they always feel out of place in Bracket 2 and those wins never feel as satisfying to me as they did years ago.

These days I'd rather win in combat or through something a little more incremental than have players scooping up their boards before I've even explained what is going on and how I have the win.

Don & Leo, Problem Solvers | Commander | Stephen Johnson

• Commander (1)
• 1 Don & Leo, Problem Solvers

• Creatures (32)
• 1 Aether Channeler
• 1 Appa, Loyal Sky Bison
• 1 Appa, Steadfast Guardian
• 1 Arcanist's Owl
• 1 Blade Splicer
• 1 Brago, King Eternal
• 1 Circuit Mender
• 1 Darksteel Splicer
• 1 Eldrazi Displacer
• 1 Felidar Guardian
• 1 Githzerai Monk
• 1 Glen Elendra Archmage
• 1 Gold-Forged Thopteryx
• 1 Malcator, Purity Overseer
• 1 Master Splicer
• 1 Moonshaker Cavalry
• 1 Oji, the Exquisite Blade
• 1 Pilgrim's Eye
• 1 Plagon, Lord of the Beach
• 1 Raff Capashen, Ship's Mage
• 1 Reflector Mage
• 1 Riptide Gearhulk
• 1 Sensor Splicer
• 1 Skittering Surveyor
• 1 Skyscanner
• 1 Solemn Simulacrum
• 1 Soulherder
• 1 Subjugator Angel
• 1 Sun Titan
• 1 Venser, Shaper Savant
• 1 Wall of Omens
• 1 Wing Splicer

• Instants (14)
• 1 Aetherize
• 1 Aetherspouts
• 1 Akroma's Will
• 1 Arcane Denial
• 1 Clever Concealment
• 1 Cloudshift
• 1 Counterspell
• 1 Dovin's Veto
• 1 Generous Gift
• 1 Path to Exile
• 1 Pongify
• 1 Rapid Hybridization
• 1 Swan Song
• 1 Swords to Plowshares

• Enchantments (4)
• 1 All That Glitters
• 1 Blessed Sanctuary
• 1 Cathars' Crusade
• 1 Grasp of Fate

• Artifacts (12)
• 1 Adaptive Omnitool
• 1 Arcane Signet
• 1 Azorius Signet
• 1 Coveted Jewel
• 1 Fellwar Stone
• 1 Gilded Lotus
• 1 Mind Stone
• 1 Nettlecyst
• 1 Panharmonicon
• 1 Simulacrum Synthesizer
• 1 The Mightstone and Weakstone
• 1 Thought Vessel

• Lands (37)
• 13 Island
• 13 Plains
• 1 Command Tower
• 1 Deserted Beach
• 1 Exotic Orchard
• 1 Glacial Fortress
• 1 Hallowed Fountain
• 1 Hengegate Pathway
• 1 Otawara, Soaring City
• 1 Port Town
• 1 Prairie Stream
• 1 Reliquary Tower
• 1 Sea of Clouds

Buy This Deck Export text

If you play in a group that is truly looking for lower powered, lower budget Commander, you could tune this list down a bit more. Akroma's Will, Otawara, Soaring City, and Simulacrum Synthesizer are probably the priciest cards in the list.

Moonshaker Cavalry and Cathars' Crusade might be among the most powerful. Dropping out some of the higher impact cards will make it much harder to win games. It can be very satisfying to notch a win with an underpowered deck.

There is a lot of room to tune this brew up. I'd start by taking the Peregrine Drake in the list and pairing it with Deadeye Navigator so you could combo off and probably draw your deck, put all your Lands into play, or even swing with an arbitrarily large army of flyers, depending on what Creatures you have available.

There are combo lines you could add involving the Felidar Guardian I'm already running, and you would definitely want to run Displacer Kitten, Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines, Starfield Vocalist, Dour Port-Mage, Flickerwisp, and other Blink staples.

When you're tuning a list up, you eventually have to ask whether another Commander would be a stronger pick, and I expect you would eventually just build a Brago, King Eternal deck. Brago can be a decent Bracket 4 Commander, though I don't think it's seeing Bracket 5 play. I am far from an expert in cEDH, but I know Brago can really slap a table around with the right build.

Final Thoughts

I wasn't able to get this list into a game in my Thursday night Tabletop Simulator group, but I do think Don & Leo, Problem Solvers should prove to be a fun lower powered Blink Commander that can be built for a range of power levels. Whether you're driving your friends crazy by abusing an Agent of Treachery or just Blinking Splicers to make 3/3 Golem tokens, this can be a fun and entertaining kind of deck to play.

You may wonder why I write so much about trying to scale your deck to your playgroup or pod's power level. The simple answer is that EDH is a bit of an odd duck in terms of Magic formats. It's about winning, but at lower power levels, it is as much about the game experience as anything else.

It's also a lot of fun to slowly move a deck up in power. Build Don & Leo as Bracket 2 and play a few games. If it's coming up short, add Displacer Kitten and Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines. See if that helps.

Maybe add a Game Changer or two if you're consistently up against Bracket 3 decks. Once you start winning games, you can stand pat or keep tweaking it if you're like me and your decks are never truly "done."

If you and your friends are all putting effort into building and playing decks that are roughly on par with each other, you're probably going to have a lot of fun. If you've got a player who is consistently overshooting everyone else, you're probably going to get frustrated with them. Playgroups break up for all sorts of reasons, and power imbalance issues are a fairly common one.

That's all I've got for today. Thanks for reading and I'll see you next week!