On Monday, in a surprise turn of events, five cards were experimentally unbanned in Duel Commander. Some of these cards were legends that were deemed too powerful after release, but in a world of power creep, are being given another chance.
Well, it’s been just two days since these unbans went live, and Asmoranomardicadaistinaculdacar (Asmo) is already putting up results. Boasting multiple 5-0 finishes in Duel Commander Leagues in the hands of different pilots, Asmo is quickly proving that it has what it takes to be a formidable force even by today’s standards.
Casting Asmo
Asmo is a very cheap Commander. Being able to play a 3/3 for one mana that even lets you tutor up The Underworld Cookbook is great. However, unlike traditional Commanders, you won’t always be able to play Asmo right away. You need to discard a card beforehand.
As such, you’ll find plenty of other cheap ways besides just The Underworld Cookbook to enable Asmo. First, cheap Cycling cards like Street Wraith help the cause. Troll of Khazad-dum and Oliphaunt make appearances as well as mana fixers that let you cast your Commander on turn two. Some players are choosing to dig deeper and utilize a bunch of traditional one-mana Cyclers, such as Monstrous Carabid, though the decklist above eschews most of these cards.
Given the deck’s aggressive slant, even Circling Vultures is an appealing option. Whether you’re using it to cast Asmo turn one by discard it or casting it later with the intention of fueling your graveyard (which The Underworld Cookbook helps with), you’re in good shape.
From there, there are a number of efficient beaters that also serve as discard outlets. Cards like Ivora, Insatiable Heir and Bloodtithe Harvester make Blood tokens to maximize Asmo. Fear of Missing Out and Seasoned Pyromancer simply discard cards when they enter. Casting Asmo early shouldn’t be a problem, and then you’ll get to start taking advantage of what The Underworld Cookbook brings to the table.
Discard Payoffs
With consistent access to The Cookbook, it’s worth utilizing cards that reward you for discarding at your leisure. It’s obviously great to generate Food tokens to set up Asmo as a repeatable source of removal, but you don’t want to be depleting your resources in the process for no gain.
That’s why there are a bunch of cards with Madness and Mayhem in the decklist. Discarding Scarlet Spider, Kaine or Swarm of Bees to The Cookbook nets you a Food token while simultaneously allowing you to cast your threat at a discount. Other cards with Madness or Mayhem include Fiery Temper and Carnage, Crimson Chaos.
Recursive creatures are also welcome to be discarded. Bloodghast, Skyfire Phoenix, and Poxwalkers can all be resurrected from your graveyard to the battlefield with ease. Detective’s Phoenix can be cast from the graveyard via Bestow.
Additionally, payoffs that simply sit in play and reward you for discarding cards go a long way in making all of your synergies worthwhile. Marauding Mako has the potential to grow absolutely massive in this shell. Currency Converter spits out Treasures and Rogues every turn. Monument to Endurance provides card advantage and can reduce your opponent’s life total in a flash.
Need for Speed
Overall, what’s nice about this strategy is that you get to maintain an aggressive gameplan while your Commander gives you a chance to win grindy games. Curving Dragon’s Rage Channeler into Inti, Seneschal of the Sun into Broadside Bombardiers naturally puts a lot of pressure on the opponent.
Once Asmo hits the board, your opponent has to contend with another cheap attacker as you continue your barrage. Trying to block profitably becomes very difficult, since it doesn’t take long until The Cookbook nets you Food tokens to start flinging at opposing creatures for free.
Yet, against decks that are able to keep pace thanks to one-for-one removal spells or catch-up mechanisms like Pyrokinesis, your recursive creatures and discard payoffs will only further cement your advantage. As long as you’re discarding cards with Mayhem or Madness to Ivora, Fear of Missing Out, or Party Thrasher and then casting them, you’re actually pulling ahead on resources over time.
With all of these strengths in mind, it was clearly a bit risky to unban Asmo. Nonetheless, the deck hardly seems banworthy, at least in the early stages since the unban. If The Cookbook gets destroyed, Asmo’s final ability becomes less concerning. Then, utilizing removal to stabilize the board and sticking a card like Aragorn, King of Gondor that’s tough to attack into is a recipe for success.
Hopefully, as the format evolves, Asmo continues to be a solid but not overwhelming Duel Commander choice. There’s a lot going in its favor, so it’ll be worth seeing how things continue to unfold.
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