Thanks to the breakneck pace of modern MTG releases, even recently released cards can end up being quickly forgotten. Hell, even entire sets can feel like they were eons ago since we’re constantly bombarded with new spoilers and announcements. This is exactly what has happened to Foundations Jumpstart, which faded into obscurity remarkably quickly.
Considering Foundations Jumpstart was primarily aimed at new players, the lack of enduring enthusiasm does make some sense. Despite this focus, there are a fair few legends within Foundations Jumpstart that are well worth paying attention to. Some of these, like Neerdiv, Devious Diver aren’t getting nearly as much attention as they deserve right now.
MTG Neerdiv, Devious Diver
As a monocolored Commander, Neerdiv, Devious Diver faces a bit of an uphill battle compared to other Mill options. While cards like The Wise Mothman and Captain N’ghathrod offer tons more tools, they’re not automatically better. Neerdiv is still more than capable of Milling out opponents, and, most of the time, her color identity isn’t even that problematic.
Since the majority of the best Mill MTG cards are in blue, building around Neerdiv, Devious Diver isn’t too difficult. Cards like Brain Freeze, The Mindskinner, and Tasha’s Hideous Laughter are all on the table here. The same is true for the myriad colorless mill engines like Mesmeric Orb and Grindstone.
Admittedly, while very powerful, Mesmeric Orb is a bit of a risky play with Neerdiv on the field. Since she cares about being tapped, it’s very easy to lean into untap synergies with this Commander, which then risks self-Mill. That said, with a Thassa’s Oracle or Laboratory Maniac in hand, this downside can easily turn into a wincon.
Even without these self-Mill synergies, repeatedly tapping and untapping Neerdiv is especially effective. Cards like Freed from the Real and Fatestitcher can give you extra Neerdiv activations. While both of these cards have spicy infinite mill combo applications, you don’t need to go infinite to make Neerdiv hurt.
While blue doesn’t have the best buffs natively, growing Neerdiv turns her into a Mill machine. Thankfully, she does solve this problem herself somewhat, thanks to her graveyard-focused ability. Not only does this encourage Flashback spells and engines like Lier, Disciple of the Drowned, but it makes self-Mill even stronger, too.
Infinite Mill for Everyone
Utilizing the aforementioned untap engines, it’s easy enough to create infinite mill combos using Neerdiv, Devious Diver. The simplest of these exploits the age-old synergy between Relic of Legends and Freed from the Real. With Freed from the Real equipped to Neerdiv, you can easily use the Relic to tap it for one blue, before paying to untap it.
Even without any extra synergy, this three-card combo lets you mill out each opponent, or yourself. For extra redundancy, you can also use Silvergill Peddler as an alternative self-Mill option, or even Pestered Wellguard to make infinite tokens. You can even use Pemmin’s Aura instead of Freed from the Real for an extra consistency boost, too.
There are also combo lines available with Agatha’s Soul Cauldron, provided you can exile a free untapper. With Fatestitcher or Aphetto Alchemist under the Soul Cauldron, all you need is a +1/+1 counter on Neerdiv to go infinite. Once in place, just tap Neerdiv to untap Neerdiv, and you’ve once again got an infinite Mill loop.
Anime Art or Bust
While Neerdiv, Devious Diver is more than capable as both a Commander and in the 99, this card is surprisingly underplayed. According to EDHREC, this card doesn’t even helm 2,500 decks, and it’s only in the 99 of 10,000. At the very least, Neerdiv seems like an easy include in any Mill-focused deck, so it definitely deserves to be more popular.
Realistically, the only thing that might be holding Neerdiv, Devious Diver back in MTG is the fact that it’s only available with anime art. Considering this art can be quite jarring compared to MTG’s usual tone, it’s not surprising players would be put off. That said, looking at sets like TMNT, this would hardly be the game’s most controversial art.
All in all, there’s no denying that Neerdiv, Devious Diver has plenty of potential in Commander. Right now, this card is fairly cheap, too, selling for around $3 on TCGplayer. Considering the price that some other Foundations Jumpstart legends can go for, however, it might be wise to pick up this card sooner, rather than later.
Stick with us here at mtgrocks.com: the best site for Magic: The Gathering coverage. Be sure to check out our deckbuilder for your next big brew, and our brand new MTG Rocks Podcast!