As many players have come to know, Partner is one of the strongest mechanics Commander has to offer. Getting access to a second Commander for free provides incredible versatility, both in deckbuilding and in gameplay. Despite this, there are still Partner options that continue to fall under the radar, like Othelm, Sigardian Outcast. Between its value-generating and combo potential, this Commander is deserving of more respect.
Partners in Crime
While Othelm’s value lies in its sole activated ability, it is a powerful one. As long as you leave two mana up, your opponents will be hesitant to kill any of your other creatures. With the help of sacrifice outlets, you can start sending your own threats with powerful enters effects into the bin to resurrect them and generate extra value.
In this sense, Othelm is a decent Commander on its own, but it’s obviously beneficial to maximize the Friends Forever mechanic. According to EDHREC, players most commonly pair this legend with Cecily, Haunted Mage which gets you access to a full five colors.
While Cecily is the most popular option, other pairings give you more bang for your buck. Wernog, Rider’s Chaplain, for example, has a decent enters effect, making it a reasonable card to keep sacrificing and recurring. Alternatively, in a shell with lots of artifact creatures, Bjorna, Nightfall Alcehmist serves as a sacrifice outlet that enables Othelm.
Still, the pairing that can get most out of hand is Othelm and Elmar, Ulvenwald Informant. The upside of being able to untap Othelm via Elmar’s trigger and recur multiple creatures a turn is quite high. Even though this requires a lot of mana, Phyrexian Altar and Ashnod’s Altar help the cause a ton. Being in Naya also gives you access to an array of mana dorks to accelerate your game plan.
Going Hard with Othelm and Elmar
With Othelm and Elmar as your Partners of choice, you’re incentivized to play lots of cheap creatures that are worth recurring. Early in the game, sacrificing and reanimating Sakura-Tribe Elder and Dawntreader Elk every turn is a great way to develop your mana. Wood Elves and other creatures that ramp when they enter offer similar value once you land a sacrifice outlet.
From there, efficient disruptive elements like Haywire Mite and Solitude help slow your opponents down while making it easy to double spell. All the while, pairing protection options like Selfless Spirit and Boromir, Warden of the Tower with Othelm keeps your board safe from Wrath effects. Fanatical Devotion is especially powerful in this department, since it doubles as a sacrifice outlet.
Eventually, rebuying haymakers with elite death triggers like Protean Hulk or enters effects like Aurora Awakener should put you in a commanding position. You can even cheat these bombs into play ahead of schedule with Sneak Attack, then use Othelm to resurrect them post-sacrifice.
If that weren’t enough, things get even more out of control with the untap effects in the mix. Seedborn Muse, for instance, gives you the mana necessary to activate Othelm on each of your opponent’s turns and keep cracking Elmar’s Clues.
Infinite Damage and Beyond
While Othelm’s presence makes it easy to win grindy games, you can also end things much quicker with combos. The most effective combo out there requires just three pieces to set up a lethal attack: Othelm, Ashnod’s Altar, and Great Oak Guardian.
With all three cards in play, simply sacrifice Great Oak Guardian to Altar and float two mana. This mana can conveniently be used to activate Othelm and return your trusty Treefolk to play. When it enters, you’ll not only get to grow your whole squad, but you’ll also untap your team, letting you repeat the loop infinitely.
Notably, besides enabling infinite combat damage, this combo also gives infinite enters and death triggers. As a result, cards like Impact Tremors will end the game without ever requiring you to enter combat. Similar combo lines are also available with Coercive Recruiter or Zealous Conscripts replacing Great Oak Guardian, adding some nice redundancy.
With this combo potential combined with its more general synergies, it’s easy to see why Othelm can be the focal point of a strong Commander deck. Despite this, Othelm remains quite underplayed, especially alongside Elmar. In fact, this combination oversees only 133 decks, according to EDHREC. Luckily, this Universes Within legend’s low demand has kept its price tag down at just $0.42, making it a steal well worth trying.
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