It’s now been nearly a month since the official release of Lorwyn Eclipsed, and it’s safe to say that the set has lived up to expectations for Commander enjoyers. In addition to all of the fun typal synergies the main set brought us, one of the Commander precons gave players something they’ve been clamoring for for a long time. That, of course, is a deck centered around -1/-1 counters.
The face Commander, Auntie Ool, Cursewretch, is quite a powerful engine. In fact, the Goblin just recently boasted a top finish in a competitive Commander tournament, showcasing its power in a more cutthroat environment.
What Auntie Ool Brings to the Table
If you’ve ever played with or against Auntie Ool, Cursewretch, you know just how much card advantage she’s capable of generating. She synergizes with cards that enter with -1/-1 counters like Channeler Initiate and creatures that spread -1/-1 counters around like Sinister Gnarlback. Once you factor in the annoying Ward ability, this Goblin easily pulls its weight in Commander.
Interestingly, though, this competitive build is a bit different than your typical Auntie Ool shell. Many traditional synergistic tools, like Flourishing Defenses and Nest of Scarabs, don’t actually appear. Instead, this deck is more focused on cheap support pieces and combo kills, with an emphasis on Auntie Ool’s triggered ability.
For example, having access to Auntie Ool in the command zone makes Devoted Druid a more reliable combo enabler. By pairing Devoted Druid with Luxior, Giada’s Gift or landing Necrotic Ooze with Devoted Druid and Morselhoarder in the graveyard, you can easily net infinite mana. By adding Auntie Ool into the equation, you then get to draw your entire deck and win in a number of ways.
Alternatively, you can take advantage of Auntie Ool’s life-draining ability by abusing the power of Yawgmoth, Thran Physician and Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons. Each time you sacrifice a creature and use Yawgmoth to put a -1/-1 counter on an opposing threat, you’ll net a 1/1 token from Hapatra and your opponent will lose life in the process. If you ever find Zulaport Cutthroat or Obelisk Spider, you can end the game on the spot.
Supporting Cast
As powerful as these various combo lines are, they do take a lot of mana to set up. Given that you don’t have access to blue and therefore miss out on strong Counterspells to buy you time, you need to get on board quickly. As a result, this deck features a boatload of mana acceleration. With free mana sources like Chrome Mox and Elvish Spirit Guide, you can churn out massive turn one plays. Add Deathrite Shaman and Badgermole Cub in the mix, and you should have no problem playing impactful creatures ahead of schedule.
Once you have a lot of mana to work with, finding your core combo pieces will let you end the game fast. For that reason, Auntie Ool plays a ton of tutor spells to increase this deck’s consistency. Whether you use Demonic Tutor or Diabolic Intent to get something to your hand, finding the perfect card in any situation is extremely important.
Notably, thanks to the Necrotic Ooze combo lines, this deck has a noticeable graveyard theme attached to it. Tutors like Entomb and Survival of the Fittest can help find the exact cards you need in your graveyard consistently. Thanks to running reanimation spells like Animate Dead and Reanimate, you can also get some larger win conditions, like Hoarding Broodlord or Mikaeus, the Unhallowed into play ahead of time.
In the face of opposing pieces of counter magic, Veil of Summer, Pyroblast, and other cheap ways to push your combos through are also very important. The recent addition of Hexing Squelcher did a great job bolstering this department.
A Hard Fight
Ultimately, while Auntie Ool is a sweet Commander option, becoming a top option in cEDH may be an uphill battle. Commanders without the Partner mechanic and without blue aren’t the most abundant to begin with. Even with access to some elite combo finishes, your lack of interaction against opposing strategies like Storm is far from ideal.
Even among Jund Commanders, there are other grindy options like Korvold, Fae-Cursed King that may be hard to compete with. This deck’s reliance on creature-activated abilities, both for mana production and combo kills, only makes it weaker to common hate pieces like Cursed Totem, too.
Nonetheless, this archetype’s potential for quick combos at least gives it a chance to compete. Auntie Ool’s fast combo finishes, combined with its grinding potential, mean that this deck has a lot of play to it. It’s always nice to see new Precon Commanders showing their worth in a more competitive environment, and only time will tell whether Auntie Ool will continue to succeed.
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