He was a demon in human form by FishyGoon

Format: Commander

Commander: Ardyn, the Usurper

Bracket: 2

DeckCheck Threat Index: 14

Deck overview

Ardyn, the Usurper is a late-game Demon commander that turns creature cards in graveyards into hasty 5/5 copies at each beginning of combat. The deck's main plan is to accelerate toward the commander, then copy high-impact Demons such as Archfiend of Depravity, Archfiend of Despair, Lord of the Void, or Demonlord Belzenlok. The strongest ordinary pressure is recurring creature suppression from Archfiend of Depravity, not immediate damage. The deck has useful cost reduction from Urza's Incubator, Jet Medallion, and Bontu's Monument, plus strong creature removal and several card-draw engines. Its main limitations are the nine-mana commander, weak tutoring, little protection, limited interaction with artifacts and spells, and uncertain access to enough suitable graveyard cards. Liliana's Contract offers a possible alternate win, but assembling four differently named Demons is too slow and conditional to serve as a reliable clock.

Decklist (100 cards)

  • 1 Altar of the Brood
  • 1 Ammit Eternal
  • 1 Ancient Cellarspawn
  • 1 Arcane Signet
  • 1 Archfiend of Depravity
  • 1 Archfiend of Despair
  • 1 Archfiend of Sorrows
  • 1 Archfiend of Spite
  • 1 Ardyn, the Usurper
  • 1 Argentum Armor
  • 1 Bilbo's Deadly Slice
  • 1 Bitter Triumph
  • 1 Black Market Connections
  • 1 Bloodgift Demon
  • 1 Bloodletter of Aclazotz
  • 1 Bloodline Pretender
  • 1 Bontu's Monument
  • 1 Changeling Outcast
  • 1 Changeling Wayfinder
  • 1 Charcoal Diamond
  • 1 Crypt Ghast
  • 1 Dark Ritual
  • 1 Demon Wall
  • 1 Demon of Loathing
  • 1 Demon of Wailing Agonies
  • 1 Demonic Counsel
  • 1 Demonic Covenant
  • 1 Demonlord Belzenlok
  • 1 Doom Whisperer
  • 1 Elbrus, the Binding Blade // Withengar Unbound
  • 1 Feed the Swarm
  • 1 Great Unclean One
  • 1 Harvester of Souls
  • 1 Herald's Horn
  • 1 Indulgent Tormentor
  • 1 Iron Giant
  • 1 Jet Medallion
  • 1 K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth
  • 1 Kindred Dominance
  • 1 Liliana of the Dark Realms
  • 1 Liliana's Contract
  • 1 Lord of the Void
  • 1 Madame Null, Power Broker
  • 1 Murder
  • 1 Nefarox, Overlord of Grixis
  • 1 Ob Nixilis of the Black Oath
  • 1 Ob Nixilis, Unshackled
  • 1 Ob Nixilis, the Fallen
  • 1 Overseer of the Damned
  • 1 Path of Ancestry
  • 1 Plague Drone
  • 1 Reaper from the Abyss
  • 1 Reliquary Tower
  • 1 Rogue's Passage
  • 1 Rot-Curse Rakshasa
  • 1 Shredder's Technique
  • 1 Sol Ring
  • 1 Soulcage Fiend
  • 1 Sower of Discord
  • 33 Swamp
  • 1 Taborax, Hope's Demise
  • 1 Unholy Annex // Ritual Chamber
  • 1 Urza's Incubator
  • 1 Varragoth, Bloodsky Sire
  • 1 Venomcrawler
  • 1 Venomous Changeling
  • 1 Vile Mutilator
  • 1 Vilis, Broker of Blood