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Budget Commander #67: Befriending the Kenrith Twins

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Hello happy friends! I hope that your day is going as well as you are! Today I want to create a budget brew around two partner planeswalkers that are pretty cheap on the secondary market right now...

This is my favorite series in my Tuesday articles, I started years ago with a dork under $38 (not counting basics) and then each deck since then needs to come in under the previous deck. I was $32.42 in my last deck, built around a recently released uncommon that made Rabbits. Who am I building around?

Rowan Kenrith
Will Kenrith

Just $0.99 and $1.99, respectively! They are nice options in the Command Zone. Each is six mana, 4 loyalty, has a +2, -2, and -8 ability. The Red one can force your foe's team to attack someone, and then -2 to Lightning Bolt all tapped dork target player controls, so it can act as mass removal for smaller stuff. The Blue one can +2 to turn two dorks into killable 0/3s with no abilities, and the -2 to draw two and then get a 2 cast boost to cast instants, sorceries, and planeswalkers. Ready to see how I can budget these two dorks? Will will be the only card here that's not under a dollar. There are 582 decks over at EDHREC.com under this pair!

Today I want to build a bit of a Super Friends deck for in the low $30s, as a lot of 'walkers have less than a buck each here at CoolStuffInc.com. I've never tried this theme in my budget decks before. Also, as a reminder, the prices can shift from when I am writing to publication to when you read it, so please be aware that the secondary market is a fluid thing. But the idea of a mega cheap brew should hold.

Let's do it to it!

Synergies and Win Cons

Flux Channeler
Saheeli, Sublime Artificer

Let's begin with two triggers off noncreatures spells. Since we have loads of planeswalkers, instants and sorceries to cast, this is pretty important. The creature is a 3-drop 2/2 that will turn your trigger into proliferate and is just $0.49. The planeswalker is also a 3-drop with five loyalty and turns her trigger into 1/1 dorks to block attacks on your friends with. You can also -2 her twice and turn an artifact you control into a copy of a dork or artifact you control for the turn. I doubt we'll do that often. It's just 75 cents.

Clone Legion is a definite win con. This 9-drop sorcery will make a copy of each dork a player controls. With Will's cost reduction, this is 7 mana. Note that you can target yourself, although I doubt you'd want to. This powerful game ender is just $0.99 here! Nice price for the power, right?

Answers

Comet Storm
Jaya's Immolating Inferno

I leaned into a few X spells here and there since Will can reduce their cost. I went to this Mythic first that's been heavily reprinted and costs just 75 cents. You can cast it instantly to shoot any target and then flex out that damage to others with its multikicker. The rare can only be cast if you control a legendary dork or planeswalker - likely here with your 'walkers. It can shoot three targets for X damage and that can be three opponents in a four-way game to finish them off. It's just 49 cents here, so this X spell really can push things around.

Burn Down the House
Starstorm

I wanted to have some mass removal options enter this duo. The Burning is a 5-cost sorcery that will either make three dorks or deal 5 damage to everything, your choice. I really like it for making three blockers. It won't break your bank costing just $0.75. The 'storm is an X instant speed can deal that much damage to every dork at instant speed and then cycle if you need to punch things around as well as only costing $0.49. Nice pair, right?

Reinterpret
Gale's Redirection

I also tossed in some cheap counters. The Izzet one is four mana, counters anything, and will let you play a cheaper card from your hand for free. Nice here, and it costs 49 cents for the cheapest version. The mono-Blue one is an instant that exiles the spell and then lets you cast it based on your die roll. It also costs just $0.49 for itself and plays quite ably here. Nice pair that adds additional value to the deck in the removal section.

Most answers in Commander that are played are removal and counters, but I am also running Lazotep Plating. This cheap uncommon will give your entire set of permanents hexproof, which is good against targeted removal and things like Cyclonic Rift. It also makes a 1/1 Zombie Army to block with. It's another hit at $0.49.

Card Flow

Jace, Mirror Mage
Chandra, Pyromaster

Most of my card flow choices are obvious, but not these! Jace is a 3-drop with 4 loyalty and kicker of 2 to make a nonlegendary copy, so it's really a 5-drop. This can +1 to scry 2 for card creation, and 0 to draw the top card of your library and then deal that casting cost in damage to Jace, so you can get a few cards over time with the copy and him working together scrying and drawing a cheap card. The Chandra is here to ping for a damage and then 0 to impulse draw. Nice card flow, and each is less than a buck!

Mind Spring
Treasure Cruise

The Spring is another X spell to draw cards, and will play nicely with Will as well as other things. It's just $0.49 on the secondary market. The Cruise is an 8-drop draw three with delve - and since you don't have any reanimation or flashback make sure to really push that delve and then draw those cards! This common is just $0.35, so less than a buck for both combined!

Other Good Stuff

Chandra, Flamecaller

This 6-mana version of Chandra costs under a buck. You can +1 her to make two 3/1s with haste and attack the open player out of nowhere, and then they die. You can also 0 her and discard your hand and draw that many plus one so you can really dig to find problems. And you can -X her and then smash each dork for that much damage. She is mass removal, a win con and card flow in one card!

Jaya Ballard is a bit hard to cast with three Red mana in her cost, but her 5 starting loyalty and two +1s make it worth it. She can +1 to make mana and spend that on instants and sorceries like your X spells. She can also turn a +1 into a discard and draw effect. Nice mana making, right?

Forge of Heroes
Temple of Epiphany

Check out these two lands! The Forge will tap and add a loyalty counter to a planeswalker commander you just played. The Temple will arrive and scry 1 and make those lands. This is a bulk rare at $0.49 here at Coolstuffinc.com. I only am running 7 non basic lands since I am spending my cash on planeswalkers.

Ready for the decklist?

  • Budget: $32.42
  • Cost: $32.39. Three cents cheaper!

You could also toss in the pretty cheap Karn's Bastion, Silent Arbiter, Contagion Engine, pricier 'walkers like Chandra, Torch of Defiance, and the recently printed Luxior, Giada's Gift for your leaders.

So, what did you think of my brew? Anything that inspires your own deck building juices? Just let me know!

Budget Commander Appendix

If you enjoyed today's cheap Selesnya Rabit making build, great! Here are the first 65 Budget Commander Options for your wallet-friendly happiness and joy:

  1. We kicked things off with Brion Stoutarm came in at $37.71
  2. Next up was Ghave, Guru of Spores, with a budget of $36.48, is a lot of fun!
  3. Talrand, Sky Summoner - $49.37. I increased the budget for this project due to the nature of the challenge, and it's the only entry in the series where the cost is increased rather than decreased.
  4. Niv-Mizzet, Dracogenius is the next for our list rocking that $36.37 pricetag.
  5. Princess Lucrezia and Riven Turnbull feature in this fun throwback Commander deck that is just $35.68.
  6. Roon of the Hidden Realm demonstrates one of the Commander 2013 dorks in a $35.29 shell.
  7. Vhati il-Dal runs the table for just $35.17. It's also one of the more unique entries in this project.
  8. With all of the latest draconic lovin', Bladewing the Risen comes just a few cents less at $35.13. http://www.gatheringmagic.com/abesargent-042114-budget-commander-8-budget-bladewing/
  9. Lu Xun, Scholar General may not be a powerhouse, but there's enough utility under here to spark a very interesting EDH deck for just $35.07.
  10. Bosh, Iron Golem was a fun mono-red artifact centric deck that hits $35.06. That's right, one cent cheaper! It's a fun and different take on artifacts than good ol' Brago will be next.
  11. Brago, King Eternal is featured with a different artifact theme and a $35.04 budget.
  12. Let's finally get below that $35 mark with Lin Sivvi and her rebel horde! $34.98 for the witness.
  13. Wedges are cool. So is Teneb, the Harvester! $34.94 gets us a deck that wins and has fun.
  14. Who likes Surrak Dragonclaw? Who likes making a face-smashing deck for just $34.83? This guy!
  15. Tolsimir Wolfblood? $34.73? Selesnya aggro? We've got it in spades!
  16. Alesha, Who Smiles at Death is ready to bring some serious recursion, beats, and a modest budget to boot at $34.62.
  17. Want to Dragon up your deck? Why not roll with Dragonlord Kolaghan for $34.47.
  18. Who's thumping those mono-green beats with the Yeva, Nature's Herald stylings? Who clocks in at just $34.39? This article!
  19. Want to donate some stuff, play some politics, and draw a ton of cards? Then check out this Zedruu the Greathearted deck that came in at $34.29.
  20. I have a notion that a Five Color deck would be a fun budget challenge. Horde of Notions is a blast of Elemental fun that clocks in at $34.17. Check it out!
  21. Five color doesn't have to end with tribes. There are so many options that this Five Color Cromat deck with a bit of a smash-y board presence is ready to introduce itself to the red zone, and to winning. It also is just $34.20.
  22. Sometimes it's really nice to see how far we can push a popular commander with a cheaper budget. That's where this Nekusar, the Mindrazer deck comes in, clocking in at $34.03
  23. With a budget of just $33.98, this Daxos of Meletis deck is pretty cool without being too expensive. Check it out!
  24. We have a Snake flavored Kaseto, Orochi Archmage deck with a lot of fun, Snakes, and budget goodness at $33.91.
  25. Nahiri, the Lithomancer is calling for an equipment and Solider focused mono-white build that's just $33.85.
  26. Who's Born to be Wild? Mina and Denn are! Check out this Gruul Smash deck with lands and fun for just $33.75.
  27. Gods are cool, especially when they make you berries, fruits, and tasty veggies. Karametra, God of Harvests might fetch you a lot of lands and good times, but she won't set back your wallet. Check out her budget build, clocking in at $33.74
  28. She beats with auras and fun, sailing over her foes. It's Bruna, Light of Alabaster! She's bringing a strong game at a cheap $33.69.
  29. Rosheen Meanderer at $33.63 clocks in with a bunch of X spells and activations with a different take on the classic Elf-Ball deck.
  30. We take a look at a very old school sort of guy, Boris Devilboon, from the original Legends set, and then build a $33.58 deck around our good demonic friends.
  31. It's time for a bit of an Orzhov Control loving, built around Teysa, Envoy of Ghosts and featuring a ton of removal, control, and more, all for the low, low price of $33.56.
  32. Captain Sisay leads a fun, legendary infused deck that has a lot of great cards and synergy, but a light price, checking in at $33.46.
  33. Ertai, the Corrupted sacrifices creatures and enchantments to counter spells. For $33.35, we have a great control-esque deck with some groovy sacrificing love.
  34. With a modest budget of $33.32, Kynaios and Tiro of Meletis have a fun event and morph focused theme, without running a bunch of cards from their Commander 2016 Appearance. Check them out!
  35. Built around the Old-School combo of Prodigal Sorcerer and Fungusaur, this Commander deck features a number of cards that deal damage to your own creatures so they get better. It clocks in at a humble $33.26.
  36. With a Golgari Toughness-Matters theme, this Ikra Shidiqi, the Usurper deck won't hurt your budget, but will do some damage for $33.15.
  37. Grenzo, Dungeon Warden goes all crazy with graveyard and deck restocking shenanigans for a cheap $33.12. We even have an infinite combo in here!
  38. Commander 2017 brings some powerful new options for Commander players everywhere. I put together a multiplayer-friendly control deck around Mathas, Fiend Seeker for just $33.10.
  39. Don't you love the Izzet madness of Arjun, the Shifting Flame? No deck has more card drawing, or card drawing triggers, than this one! It clocks in at $33.04.
  40. It doesn't have to be Halloween for you to enjoy the Monster Mash. Here we have a Grusilda, Monster Mash deck that enjoys mashing your dorks together, but not mashing your budget. It clocks in at $32.98
  41. Don't Shatter your Budget with this build of the Shattergang Brothers, who's sacrificial ways won't sacrifice wallet, and just cost $32.94.
  42. I saw Muldrotha, the Gravetide and I just fell in love with that face. Who wouldn't? Here's a graveyard abuse deck that won't break your bank, just your battlefield. And maybe some friendships. It was $32.89.
  43. Who likes some Saprolings and having Fungal Fun? I do! Slimefoot, the Stowaway leads this cheap, flavorful deck that clocks in at $32.80. Every addition to the deck has to support the flavor of the Fungal concepts!
  44. Who wants to untap and en-creature Arixmethes, Slumbering Isle? Who wants a fun budget build that's just $32.77? ME!
  45. Next up is a budget build of Emmara, Soul of the Accord which is cheap and clocks in at $32.77. Check out it's token majesty!
  46. I randomly selected Kefnet the Mindful for a random Commander challenge, and was inspired to combine my two series and build a Budget Commander deck around card-drawing and fun times with Kefnet! Check it out and it's $32.73 glory.
  47. Let's build a fun graveyard and Mono-Green build around my second Portal: Three Kingdoms leader - Hua Tuo, Honored Physician. I really like this build, and for just $32.65, I hope you will too!
  48. I built a fun budget Burn and Life gain deck around Firesong and Sunspeaker for a price tag of only $32.57! Want to check it out?
  49. I built a fun deck around the partners Gorm the Great and Virtus the Veiled. This deck ran some cool cards, including the old school Basilisk and Lure combos. But it only cost $32.51. Don't you wanna check it out? Of course ya do!
  50. For my 50th Budget Commander article, I decide to do something crazy! Let's build a Warrior themed deck around a very expensive Najeela, the Blade-Blossom, rather than my normal way of a budget leader. We come in at $42.45. You know you want to read it...
  51. Want a Naya Gold deck? Literally? Built around the multicolored loving Rienne, Angel of Rebirth. It clocks it at $32.39. I know you want to find out how I ever could do that! Check it out!
  52. I built a fun +1/+1 counter and enchantment-matters build around Eutropia the Twice-Favored for $32.33. Don't you wanna check it out?
  53. I took the Skirmish deck I designed, Defy Death, and turned it into a Commander deck featuring Tariel, Reckoner of Souls for $32.28. Take a look and see what you think!
  54. I created a fun token creature deck around Akim, the Soaring Wind from Commander 2020. It came in at $32.27! Enjoy it here!
  55. I built a Mono-Blue scry and flying matters deck around the partners Eligeth, Crossroads Augur and Siani, Eye of the Storm, that came in under $32.23. It was fun! You can find it here!
  56. I love a good crazy Commander to build around, like Hans Eriksson. My version of him ran cards like enrage led Dinosaurs, and mid-range cards you'd want to drop onto the battlefield with aplomb. The deck came in at $32.29. Want to check it out?
  57. For my Selensya fans I built this crazy life gain and going wide build around Lathiel, the Bounteous Dawn! It came in at $32.27 just two cents fewer than #56! Enjoy it here!
  58. I built a big spells matter and ramp Simic deck around partners from Commander Legends Brinelin, the Moon Kraken and Gilanra, Caller of Wirewood. It features X spells like Hydras and big spells a go go! The budget? Just $32.73! Check it out here.
  59. If you want to check out a cheap Orzhov +1/+1 Counters Matter brew, great! I've got you covered! I built around Shaile, Dean of Radiance and Embrose, Dean of Shadow. The total for this awesome build is $32.68. You can view it here.
  60. This deck came in at $32.65 and it's a Peasant version Axelrod Gunnsaron from the first set that introduced legendary stuff. This one lets you use the version from Legends instead of Chronicles and it's a powerful Rakdos deck that uses ways to trigger Axelrod's ability like giving him ping effects like Fire Whip, deathtouch ones like Bladebrand, and I built the rest of the deck around deathtouchers and pingers. You can check it out here.
  61. Coming in at $32.60 was this mono-Black Jerren, Corrupted Bishop deck that cared about the Human tribe and going aggro. You can find it here!
  62. I was excited to write a mono-Blue toughness-matters brew around Geralf, Visionary Stitcher. It came in at $32.56.
  63. Then I created a deck around the incredibly popular Zaxara, the Exemplary and built and budget view of this powerful leader that came in at $32.54. Find it here!
  64. I built a Sphinx matters mono-Blue build around Unesh, Criosphinx Sovereign that came in at $32.51! You can check out this bad boy here.
  65. I built a Mono-Black, 1-power creature matters theme around Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker. This is a fun unique deck Budget Commander: Hurray Shirei! | Article by Abe Sargent (coolstuffinc.com) with a budget of $32.46.
  66. I have a fun Rabbit-y deck led by Cadira, Caller of the Small that frumps around at $32.42- ready? Budget Commander: All the Rabbits with Cadira | Article by Abe Sargent (coolstuffinc.com)
  67. That's this planeswalker-led article, silly goof!

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