In Commander, it’s all too easy to build around the best option in any given archetype. Admittedly, this is understandable, as even if you’re not aiming for higher brackets, wanting optimum synergy just makes sense. That being said, there is a special charm in building around objectively worse Commanders that, essentially, impose deck-building restrictions.
With this in mind, building a deck around cards like Nikya of the Old Ways can be a delightful challenge. Even if it’s not a hard rule, this unique Commander encourages a deck with no noncreature spells. This might seem pretty damning on the surface, but it actually makes for a very engaging Commander brew that has real potential.
MTG Nikya of the Old Ways
While the deckbuilding restriction that Nikya of the Old Ways encourages is somewhat troublesome, the upside is well worth it. By essentially doubling the mana your lands produce, you can easily spiral out of control and take over games. Thankfully, getting to this point isn’t an impossible endeavour, either, as there’s a surprisingly great deal of support cards.
While powering out Nikya of the Old Ways with mana dorks like Llanowar Elves always works, getting lands into play is the ideal. Thankfully, cards like Cultivate and Farseek can easily be replaced by Sakura-Tribe Elder, Wood Elves, and Farhaven Elf. Similarly, you can also run Arbor Elf and Goblin Anarchomancer to power through your early game before you land Nikya.
Once in play, Nikya of the Old Ways can quickly create new problems as emptying your hand becomes trivial. Due to this, cards like Beast Whisperer, Primordial Sage, and Soul of the Harvest are must-haves. Similarly, protection pieces like Archetype of Endurance, Frenzied Baloth, and Prowling Serpopard are vital to keep your creatures safe.
Beyond just focusing on your own board, there are a fair few cards that let you mess with your opponent’s too. Gruul Ragebeast and Terror of the Peaks can serve as removal, for instance, while Nullstone Gargoyle repeatedly counters things. Naturally, Nikya also has access to tons of enchantment and artifact removal, like Acidic Slime, Silverback Elder, and Bane of Progress.
While all this support makes Nikya of the Old Ways decks surprisingly resilient, the top end is naturally the best bit. Threats like Apex Devastator, End-Raze Forerunners, and Craterhoof Behemoth closing out games in style is remarkably easy. As if that wasn’t enough, however, Nikya of the Old Ways also has a fair bit of combo potential.
Infinite Mana and Spell Locks
Somewhat unsurprisingly, given its main ability, making infinite mana with Nikya of the Old Ways is rather easy. All you need is Ashaya, Soul of the World and Magus of the Candelabra alongside a couple of lands. With these two lands tapping for four thanks to Nikya, you can pay three to Magnus to untap itself and the lands, while netting one mana.
While you can funnel this mana into Walking Ballista you won’t find this in most Nikya decks by default. As such, pumping mana into Kessig Wolf Run is a more reliable option, but Temur Sabertooth is admittedly more fun. Allowing you to bounce and replay any creature in your deck, this humble cat lets you play each opponent’s entire deck with Etali, Primal Storm.
Technically, it’s also possible to make infinite mana with Agatha of the Vile Cauldron and Silvanus’s Invoker. With Agatha at seven or more power, Silvanus’s Invoker can essentially untap lands for one mana, while Nikya makes them tap for two. This’ll give you infinite mana to feed into Agatha’s second ability for an easy win.
Unfortunately, while it is technically possible to pull this off in theory, this deck has very few ways to buff creatures. As such, you’d likely need to branch out to not just using creatures. If you’re doing that, however, it’s much better to use Assault Suit for a rather mean, disruptive combo.
With Nikya of the Old Ways enchanted with Assault Suit, you can give it to each opponent as their turn begins. While this does give them double mana, it’ll also force them to deal with the no noncreature spells downside. Notably, this strategy won’t work against everyone, but with the right opponent, you could easily leave Assault Suit-ed Nikya in their possession, ruining their game plan.
Weird, but Worth It
While Nikya of the Old Ways is hardly the best Gruul Commander in MTG, its play style is definitely one of the most interesting. Despite this, Nikya doesn’t see a great deal of play in Commander. According to EDHREC, this centaur legend only helms around 3,500 decks, and appears in the 99 of just 7,200.
Thankfully, if you want to add to these meager numbers with your own deck, Nikya of the Old Ways is rather affordable. Coming in at just $0,32 on TCGplayer, you can easily pick up near-mint copies on a budget. With many of this deck’s best cards falling in a similar price bracket, this entire build isn’t too bad overall.
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