In EDH, Tokens remains one of the most popular archetypes out there. In a format all about overwhelming board states, going wide is a great way to win in style. Find the right Commander, and you can easily create some ridiculous boards.
Of all the legends that pay you off for incorporating a Tokens theme, none arguably provide higher upside than Esix, Fractal Bloom. It doesn’t take much before this Fractal Commander can pop off, and there are even some combo kills you can enable, to boot.
MTG Esix, Fractal Bloom
This bizarre Fractal Commander offers an ability that’s very difficult to replicate. Being able to repeatedly copy your best creature is a potential game-breaking effect that makes Esix well worth its hefty casting cost. In order to get your engine rolling, however, you need to incorporate the right support elements.
Because Esix’s ability only triggers the first time you create tokens, you’re incentivized to avoid cards like Master of the Wild Hunt that only produce one token at a time. Instead, any card that creates a ton of tokens, like Ezuri’s Predation, Old Gnawbone, and Mycoloth are your best friends.
Once you can create tons of tokens on demand, you’ll need creatures that are worth making copies of. Threats with potent enters effects from, Risen Reef to Agent of Treachery, certainly fit the mold. That said, the ideal creature for Esix to copy are cards that make even more tokens. Creatures that produce a bunch of tokens when they enter, including Deep Forest Hermit and Myr Battlesphere, also go completely berserk with Esix. Things only pop off further when you add in token doublers like Doubling Season or Adrix and Nev, Twincasters.
Once you’ve generated a big board of creature tokens, Curiosity Crafter helps refuel your hand in a flash, so long as you can connect for damage. Perplexing Test can clear the way for all of your tokens to connect, while Craterhoof Behemoth can easily close out the game.
Combo Finishes
In addition to being an insane value engine, Esix, Fractal Bloom also opens the door for some gnarly combos. Taking infinite turns, for example, is a breeze thanks to Timestream Navigator. By combining the Human Wizard with Esix and a repetitive token generator, like Mycoloth, you’ll be able to make a token copy of Timestream Navigator every turn.
While this line is undoubtedly the simplest infinite combo available with Esix, there are also plenty of non-infinite combos that should still win you the game. Utilizing Avenger of Zendikar with Altar of the Brood can mill your opponents out entirely if you control enough lands. Having nine lands in play is generally the sweet spot, since resolving Avenger will net you 91 creatures, and 91 Altar triggers will almost always end the game.
Even just landing Biovisionary gives you a clean path to an alternate win condition. With so many token producers to work with, Biovisionary should be an automatic inclusion in any Esix shell.
An Underappreciated Build-Around
Thanks to all of these different avenues to victory, Esix makes for a fairly strong Commander. While the Fractal is admittedly a bit chunky, there’s no shortage of ways to accelerate out the powerhouse and protect it in Simic.
Even with this considered, Esix, Fractal Bloom doesn’t even have 3,600 decks according to EDHREC. The fractal does see more play in the 99 of other Tokens decks, but even as a support card, Esix could use more love. Many Commanders, from Koma, World-Eater to Morska, Undersea Sleuth, become significantly scarier when they can make copies of your biggest bomb every turn.
Whether you’re interested in crafting a full deck around Esix or picking up a copy as an upgrade, copies of the mythic are dirt cheap. Following its reprint in the Murders at Karlov Manor Deep Clue Sea Commander precon, Esix’s price fell to nearly $0.30. As a result, there’s never been a better time to pick up a copy and see how easily Esix can pop off.
Stick with us here at mtgrocks.com: the best site for Magic: The Gathering coverage. Be sure to check out our deckbuilder for your next big brew!