Generally, most creature-based Commander decks in Magic focus on either going wide or going tall. Both are viable approaches to winning games through combat, but the two don’t overlap much in terms of the cards they play. Siona, Captain of the Pyleas, however, challenges this dichotomy by blending the two MTG strategies into one potent, yet underrated, legend.
Siona, Captain Of The Pyleas MTG
The big draw of Siona, Captain of the Pyleas is undoubtedly that spicy second ability. Getting free tokens whenever you attach Auras to your creatures is excellent, letting you go both tall and wide. This ability works particularly well with cheap Auras that further your board, like Whip Silk, Animal Friend, and Flickering Ward. Of course, this also lets traditional Aura support cards, like Kor Spiritdancer and Light-Paws, Emperor’s Voice do a ton of work.
With cards like these, you can easily generate a sizable board with Siona in just a few turns. Add board-wide buffs like Craterhoof Behemoth and Cathar’s Crusade to the mix, and you can turn this into lethal damage fast. You can also bring in creature-based draw engines, like Enduring Innocence and Welcoming Vampire, to make all of your Auras cantrips with Siona in play.
Whether you’re going wide or tall, Siona’s first ability helps you draw into more Auras to fuel your game plan. To maximize this ability, running trigger doublers like Delney, Streetwise Lookout and Panharmonicon will let you grab two Auras at a time, while also providing extra tokens from Siona’s first ability. You can take this even further by blinking Siona, using cards like Teleportation Circle and Ephemerate.
Auras Into Armies
Siona, Captain of the Pyleas is also notable for enabling a range of infinite combos, specifically through its second ability. The best of these by far is the two-card combo Siona has with Shielded by Faith, which generates infinite tokens incredibly easily.
Simply enchant Siona with Shielded by Faith and you’ll get a token, which you can then attach Shielded by Faith to. This will trigger Siona’s ability again, letting you repeat the loop as many times as you’d like for infinite 1/1 Soldier tokens. Throw in a Haste granter like Concordant Crossroads, or Altar of the Brood, and this combo can provide a simple turn four kill in Commander.
Another infinite combo is available with Siona, Reins of the Vinesteed, and a sacrifice outlet. Start by attaching Reins to one of your Soldier tokens, generating another with Siona, then sacrifice the first one to have Reins return to play attached to the second. This will create another token, letting you repeat the loop for infinite enters and dies triggers. With the right sacrifice outlet this can go infinite in other ways, too, with Altar of Dementia offering infinite mill, and Ashnod’s Altar providing infinite colorless mana.
In a similar vein, Siona also goes infinite with Rancor and Phyrexian Altar, creating the same infinite enters and dies triggers as the Reins combo above. What sets this line apart, however, is that you actually re-cast Rancor infinitely in this version, too, which opens up new avenues. With cards like Mesa Enchantress this lets you draw your whole deck, or you can simply win on the spot with Aetherflux Reservoir.
An Unsung Hero
Siona, Captain of the Pyleas is a surprisingly well-rounded MTG Commander, especially for an uncommon. Its abilities are flexible enough to support token decks, Voltron decks, and even hybrid brews that blend the two. Throw in the ever-desirable ‘card advantage in the command zone’ factor, along with its low cost, and it’s an excellent all-round package.
Despite these virtues, Siona really hasn’t caught on in Commander as of yet. By EDHREC numbers, just 950 players run the card as their Commander, which feels incredibly low these days. It does a bit better in the 99, showing up in just over 13,000 lists, under Commanders like Sythis, Harvest’s Hand and Uril, the Miststalker. Even then, however, that still feels low for such a flexible card with combo potential to boot.
If you want to buck this trend and give Siona a go yourself, the card’s price certainly isn’t an issue. Near-mint base copies can be had on TCGplayer right now for as little as $0.07, with foils not far away at $0.28. Whether these prices are down to Siona’s low popularity or low rarity, they make the card an easy pickup for those looking to try something new with their next Commander project.
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