ARCADES 2.0 by hypebonaz

Format: Commander

Commander: Arcades, the Strategist

Bracket: 3

DeckCheck Threat Index: 45

Deck overview

This Bant deck is a focused Defender and toughness-matters aggressive midrange build spearheaded by Arcades, the Strategist. By converting low-cost, high-toughness walls into efficient attackers that cantrip upon entry, the deck rapidly establishes a wide, resilient board state while maintaining card velocity. Asymmetric board wipes such as Slaughter the Strong and Fell the Mighty break parity by wiping out opposing high-power threats while leaving the 0-power defender army completely untouched. Redundant toughness-to-damage enablers like High Alert, Assault Formation, and Huatli, the Sun's Heart ensure combat viability even if the commander is removed. The deck transitions into a lethal clock around Turn 5, closing games on Turn 7 via overrun effects like Tower Defense, Akroma's Will, or unblockable attacks with Tetsuko Umezawa, Fugitive.

Decklist (100 cards)

  • 1 Access Tunnel
  • 1 Akroma's Will
  • 1 Angelic Chorus
  • 1 Angelic Wall
  • 1 Arcades, the Strategist
  • 1 Arcane Signet
  • 1 Assault Formation
  • 1 Axebane Guardian
  • 1 Beast Within
  • 1 Bountiful Promenade
  • 1 Brave the Sands
  • 1 Breeding Pool
  • 1 Canopy Vista
  • 1 Carven Caryatid
  • 1 Command Tower
  • 1 Counterspell
  • 1 Crashing Drawbridge
  • 1 Crystal Barricade
  • 1 Cultivate
  • 1 Dovin's Veto
  • 1 Drift of Phantasms
  • 1 Dusk // Dawn
  • 1 Exotic Orchard
  • 1 Farseek
  • 1 Fell the Mighty
  • 1 Flawless Maneuver
  • 1 Flooded Strand
  • 4 Forest
  • 1 Generous Gift
  • 1 Glacial Fortress
  • 1 Guardian Project
  • 1 Hallowed Fountain
  • 1 Heroic Intervention
  • 1 High Alert
  • 1 Hinterland Harbor
  • 1 Hover Barrier
  • 1 Huatli, the Sun's Heart
  • 5 Island
  • 1 Jeskai Barricade
  • 1 Lightning Greaves
  • 1 Meekstone
  • 1 Nature's Lore
  • 1 Overgrown Battlement
  • 1 Overgrown Farmland
  • 1 Path to Exile
  • 1 Perimeter Captain
  • 5 Plains
  • 1 Prairie Stream
  • 1 Rammas Echor, Ancient Shield
  • 1 Rampant Growth
  • 1 Rejuvenating Springs
  • 1 Reliquary Tower
  • 1 Render Silent
  • 1 Sea of Clouds
  • 1 Seaside Citadel
  • 1 Shield Sphere
  • 1 Shield-Wall Sentinel
  • 1 Slaughter the Strong
  • 1 Sol Ring
  • 1 Spara's Headquarters
  • 1 Stalwart Shield-Bearers
  • 1 Sunpetal Grove
  • 1 Sunscape Familiar
  • 1 Swiftfoot Boots
  • 1 Swords to Plowshares
  • 1 Sylvan Caryatid
  • 1 Temple Garden
  • 1 Tetsuko Umezawa, Fugitive
  • 1 The Birth of Meletis
  • 1 The Pride of Hull Clade
  • 1 The Walls of Ba Sing Se
  • 1 Tower Defense
  • 1 Tree of Redemption
  • 1 Tundra
  • 1 Vine Trellis
  • 1 Walking Bulwark
  • 1 Wall of Blossoms
  • 1 Wall of Denial
  • 1 Wall of Frost
  • 1 Wall of Glare
  • 1 Wall of Junk
  • 1 Wall of Omens
  • 1 Wall of Roots
  • 1 Wall of Runes
  • 1 Wall of Stolen Identity
  • 1 Wall of Tanglecord
  • 1 Weathered Sentinels
  • 1 Windswept Heath
  • 1 Wingmantle Chaplain