Hidden Gems for Teval, the Balanced Scale
As usual, we’ll be diving into the depths of Magic to find underappreciated and overlooked cards that can upgrade this new Sultai graveyard deck.
Step one of any Commander deck that cares about the graveyard is to fill the graveyard. You can mill, loot, and surveil your way to turn the bin into what is essentially a second hand. Teval plays in a relatively niche space of caring about when cards leave your graveyard, so finding the right balance (Get it?!) of cards that care about going to your graveyard and cards that care about leaving it will be a bit tricky.
#1. Master of Death
I am shooketh that this card doesn’t appear on more Teval decklists. It puts cards in graveyards, it brings itself back, and it’s a Zombie. It was practically made just for Teval; it synergizes with so many cards that you’ll want to be playing, that it only makes sense as an inclusion.
At a mana value of three, it can squeeze in some early damage, make for a great chump blocker, pave the way for Teval, and look hot while doing it (according to Zombie standards, at least). Master of Death? More like the Master of My Heart.
| Master of Death | ||
| Master of Death (Extended Art) |
#2. Genesis
Graveyard decks can get a lot of free value out of Incarnations.
It doesn’t need to be in your hand; it doesn’t want to be in your hand. It just wants to raise the dead every turn because it has a god complex and it loves you. Let it.
| Genesis | ||
| Genesis |
#3. Tomb Fortress
Anytime you can squeeze extra value out of your lands, you should seriously consider it. Tomb Fortress can be overlooked, since it came out in the
The opportunity cost of including it is low, low, low. In real life, I wouldn’t suggest building a fortress out of tombs, but in Magic… go for it.
| Tomb Fortress | ||
| Tomb Fortress (Surge Foil) |
#4. Unshakable Tail
Oh, look! It’s Master of Death’s little brother, Unshakable Tail. No, it’s not a dog’s tail that’s been bronzed and locked in place for eternity, impossible to shake. It’s a Magic card. Once again, we have a Zombie that surveils and can bring itself back from the graveyard. Unlike its older brother, this li’l fella can also produce Clue tokens for more card draw and extra value.
Originally printed in a
| Unshakable Tail | ||
| Unshakable Tail (Extended Art) |
#5. Matzalantli, the Great Door
While this legendary artifact might not care about cards leaving the graveyard, it fits nicely into the same style of deck that Teval is aiming to be. The looting trigger can help filter your hand and fill your graveyard, but the power of it ramps up if you’re able to transform it.
Assuming your deck plays plenty of types, which is a considerable direction if you’re aiming to include Delirium cards, this artifact can become a substantial source of mana. Worth noting: to transform it, it counts the number of permanent types, not card types - so instants and sorceries don’t help in that regard. That said, this one card can put in a lot of work, smoothing out your hand in the early game and giving you tons of mana in the late game.
| Matzalantli, the Great Door | ||
| Matzalantli, the Great Door (Extended Art) |
That’s all for this week on Hidden Gems. Don’t forget to check out our Premium membership for more entertainment and Magic market insights!
Until next time, happy brewing!
Further Reading
Tarkir: Dragonstorm Commander Decklists
Adam Berg
Adam started playing Magic on his 14th birthday, when Judgment just released and the game's first Gorgon was born (It's a girl!). Since then, he's delved deep into Commander, written for television and film, and learned how to drive. He's published two YA Fantasy novels, Rainbringer and The Broken Pantheon. His favorite card is Repay In Kind, which is really all you need to know.