Hidden Gems for Voja, Jaws of the Conclave

On behalf of Voja, Jaws of the Conclave, let me welcome you to Hidden Gems, where we dig up overlooked and underappreciated cards for Commander. Get your friendship bracelets ready, because today we’re diving into the symbiotic bond between Wolves and Elves.

The first step to building this deck is to find the best Elves and Wolves. Duh. I recommend focusing on the Elves, since there are a lot more of them and you really don’t need to draw that many cards from Voja each turn to really grind out the value. The pool of Wolves is a bit shallow (and filled with wolf hair), so a quick look at EDHREC will show you all the ones that are worthwhile.

Step two is to take advantage of combat. Extra combat steps can get you multiple triggers, but I’m gonna throwback to the original Ravnica for my first recommendation:

#1. Master Warcraft

Not a lot of spells let you tamper with combat as much as this little trick. This effect lasts the whole turn, which makes extra combat steps even more safe for our Good Boy to pump the team and draw some cards. But Master Warcraft isn’t just about manipulating combat to protect your creatures; you can play it on an opponent’s turn to control their attack to prevent a big threat from entering combat, or even take a value engine creature that would normally sit on the sidelines of combat and throw them into the fray (like Esper Sentinel).

#2. Marath, Will of the Wild

Let’s say everything is working well—your Elves are getting you counters and your Wolves are getting you cards. Now what? Just combat? While that’s a great Plan A, it’s always important to have a backup. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to spend +1/+1 counters. Marath gives you a lot of utility. It can create an army, shoot down creatures, planeswalkers, battles, and players, and move its counters to somewhere more useful. Just remember—X can’t be 0. So there’s no easy trick to pull with the likes of Hardened Scales. Thanks, errata.

#3. Resourceful Defense

The biggest threat to creature-based decks is board wipes. With mass exile effects like Sunfall becoming more common, phasing is the best new way to protect your board. Sorry Heroic Intervention.

But there are more specific tools for Voja. In case you missed it, The Ozolith got a new enchantment copycat in Resourceful Defense. Even if your creatures get exiled, you can keep all the counters.

Play Voja again. Load him up with counters and suddenly you’re back in the game. Plus, Voja has trample. One swing might just be enough to kill someone with Commander damage.

#4. Realm Seekers

Lastly, let me remind you about this little card. It’s at a nice intersection of being an Elf, caring about +1/+1 counters, and card advantage. Use it to tutor for any land card—Kessig Wolf Run, Mutavault, Rogue's Passage, Reliquary Tower, you name it. It’ll fit right into the deck’s synergies and can help you find the right tool for whatever situation you and Voja find yourself in.

Master Warcraft	CardKingdom $0.99	TCGPlayer $0.65
Marath, Will of the Wild	CardKingdom $0.99	TCGPlayer $0.75
Resourceful Defense	CardKingdom $5.99	TCGPlayer $6.29
Realm Seekers	CardKingdom $0.59	TCGPlayer $0.50

Until next time, enjoy wearing elf ears and wandering into the woods to befriend a wild animal, or whatever it is you kids are doing these days. Just don’t forget to check out our Premium membership for more entertainment and Magic market insights!

Further Reading:

Top Picks For Murders at Karlov Manor

New Cards for Commander From Murders at Karlov Manor

Does Magic: the Gathering Have a Waifu Tax?