John Benton by nathanielknopik

Format: Commander

Commander: Sergeant John Benton

Bracket: 3

Deck overview

This is an aggressive, all-in combat-voltron deck built around Sergeant John Benton. The primary plan is to cast John Benton as early as possible, leverage his built-in haste and trample to attack immediately, and fuel each subsequent turn with the massive card draw his combat-damage trigger provides. The 99 is almost entirely dedicated to pump spells (over a dozen), cheap protection (hexproof, indestructible, shroud), and a small ramp package to accelerate John onto the battlefield. Win conditions are commander damage (the main line), with Psychosis Crawler and Viseling as incidental drain that scales naturally with the massive hand sizes John generates. The deck is extremely linear-John is both the engine and the win condition-and its success hinges on keeping him alive and unblockable.

Decklist (100 cards)

  • 1 Acrobatic Leap
  • 1 Arcane Signet
  • 1 Authority of the Consuls
  • 1 Avacyn's Pilgrim
  • 1 Azusa, Lost but Seeking
  • 1 Basilisk Collar
  • 1 Bastion Protector
  • 1 Bear Umbra
  • 1 Beast Within
  • 1 Become Immense
  • 1 Birds of Paradise
  • 1 Blackblade Reforged
  • 1 Blossoming Defense
  • 1 Brushland
  • 1 Command Tower
  • 1 Cultivate
  • 1 Delighted Halfling
  • 1 Elvish Mystic
  • 1 Enlightened Tutor
  • 1 Explore
  • 1 Flaming Fist
  • 1 Flare of Faith
  • 1 Fleeting Flight
  • 1 Flowering of the White Tree
  • 16 Forest
  • 1 Ghostly Prison
  • 1 Giant Growth
  • 1 Gluntch, the Bestower
  • 1 Groundswell
  • 1 Guardian Augmenter
  • 1 Inner Calm, Outer Strength
  • 1 Invigorate
  • 1 Kaya's Onslaught
  • 1 Lion Umbra
  • 1 Llanowar Elves
  • 1 Luxurious Libation
  • 1 Might of Old Krosa
  • 1 Mirari's Wake
  • 1 Nature's Claim
  • 1 Nature's Lore
  • 1 Noble Heritage
  • 1 Obscuring Haze
  • 1 Path to Exile
  • 1 Phytoburst
  • 10 Plains
  • 1 Psychosis Crawler
  • 1 Rampant Growth
  • 1 Reliquary Tower
  • 1 Reprieve
  • 1 Restoration Magic
  • 1 Rogue's Passage
  • 1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
  • 1 Sergeant John Benton
  • 1 Shalai, Voice of Plenty
  • 1 Smothering Tithe
  • 1 Snakeskin Veil
  • 1 Sol Ring
  • 1 Spider Umbra
  • 1 Stonewood Invocation
  • 1 Summer Bloom
  • 1 Sunpetal Grove
  • 1 Swell of Growth
  • 1 Sword of War and Peace
  • 1 Sword of the Animist
  • 1 Swords to Plowshares
  • 1 Take Up the Shield
  • 1 Temple Garden
  • 1 Temple of the False God
  • 1 Thought Vessel
  • 1 Three Visits
  • 1 Titanic Growth
  • 1 Tyvar's Stand
  • 1 Vines of Vastwood
  • 1 Viseling
  • 1 Wild Defiance
  • 1 Wrecking Ball Arm