At this point, Magic has crossed over with so many different IPs via Universes Beyond that it’s tough to keep track. While the full sets like Final Fantasy and Avatar are easy enough to remember, the smaller Secret Lair products are less so. For this reason, you’d be forgiven for forgetting that two full The Last of Us drops came out last year.
This past weekend, however, has brought a reminder of this fact. Two of the legends from these drops, Ellie, Vengeful Hunter and Ellie, Brick Master, took down a smaller competitive Duel Commander event on Sunday, in the hands of MTG player Tomas Balestrini. Token decks don’t exactly have a large presence in the format right now, but this duo could change that very soon.
Ellie, Vengeful Hunter In MTG Duel Commander
Right out of the gate, Ellie, Vengeful Hunter and Ellie, Brick Master provide a solid foundation for a token deck in Duel Commander. Brick Master is a cheap token generator, easily providing an extra 1/1 every turn you can swing in. Vengeful Hunter covers the other side of the equation, letting you sacrifice the tokens you make to burn down your opponent two life at a time.
In Duel Commander, where the starting life total is 20, it’s surprisingly easy to just win outright with this ability. You only need to sacrifice 10 total tokens to do so, and the deck is more than capable of producing that. Cheap token generators like Nezumi Linkbreaker and Wriggling Grub can convert directly into significant damage this way. Since Vengeful Hunter also damages you, you’ll need to pull ahead in life first, however, or grab a Shadowspear with Urza’s Saga.
If the burn plan doesn’t work out, this list packs plenty of other ways to make use of its tokens. There are a lot of powerful sacrifice outlets here, from Goblin Bombardment to Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER, which let you grind out extra value. There are also some ways to go tall, with cards like Carrion Feeder, Super Shredder, and Obsessive Pursuit. Since this deck is quite vulnerable to board wipes, this is a welcome alternative strategy.
Another way this list deals with the board wipe issue is through its suite of reanimation effects. Cards like Unearth and Rat King, Verminister can easily get back any of your key pieces post-wipe. The deck also runs Desperate Plea and Chthonian Nightmare, which serve as both sacrifice outlets and reanimation effects for maximum synergy.
Spanners In The Works
In addition to its aggressive core game plan, Tomas Balestrini’s Ellie, Vengeful Hunter Duel Commander deck also runs a heavy disruption package. Graveyard hate, in particular, is very well-represented here, between Dauthi Voidwalker, Emperor of Bones, and Boggart Trawler. With how prevalent graveyard decks are in the current metagame, these picks make perfect sense.
There’s plenty of more general disruption here, too, with Magus of the Moon as a hedge against greedy mana bases, and Opposition Agent to shut down tutors. The deck can also get around wide boards with Headliner Scarlett or Sundering Eruption, which helps advance an Aggro plan. With Hexing Squelcher and Spider-Punk in the mix, the deck can also play through countermagic with ease in most games, giving it an edge against more controlling lists.
Of course, disruption is at its best when you can access it on demand, and in this regard, Balestrini’s deck has a few options. Demonic Tutor is the perfect tutor to grab your silver bullets, but beyond that, the lack of other options like Diabolic Intent is notable. Fortunately, Skullclamp is such an absurd draw engine in this deck that it basically qualifies as a tutor, and you can tutor that with Urza’s Saga.
Something To Fear?
Even with all of its advantages, Ellie, Vengeful Hunter isn’t a sure thing in current Duel Commander. Versatile as it is, the deck does have some major weaknesses, which the big players in the format right now can easily exploit.
The biggest issue the deck faces right now is a lack of instant-speed interaction. The top two decks in the format currently, Spider-Man 2099 and Tasigur, the Golden Fang, are capable of messing with your plans with ease thanks to their cheap disruption suites. They have counterspells for your key cards, and bounce to deal with your go-tall creatures. Hexing Squelcher and friends can help in these matchups, but they’re still rough.
Fortunately, things are much better in more Midrange matchups, like Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd and Slimefoot and Squee. Against these decks, Ellie can play a respectable game on board, while also having the option to just win over the top with direct damage out of the command zone. Stax pieces like Drannith Magistrate can sting, to be sure, but Ellie runs enough solid Rakdos removal to push through it.
Overall, while it’s early days for this deck in Duel Commander, I’m cautiously optimistic. The Ellie duo allows for a Midrange/Aggro hybrid plan that feels quite effective in the current format, letting you switch up your game in each individual matchup. While it certainly has its weaknesses, new additions like Redirect Lightning and Hexing Squelcher go a long way towards addressing them.
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