$0.49 Commander Wins Event Combining Knight Typal and Reanimator Themes

Despite being a highly competitive format, Duel Commander still offers plenty of brewing opportunities. Just last weekend, a Knight Typal deck of all things won a small tournament, utilizing a busted mechanic to its advantage. With the help of a potent Reanimator package, this deck can take over games in short order.

Abusing the Eminence Mechanic

This deck piloted by Matouš Pavlovský-fiala has a rather unorthodox game plan, but fortunately, Sidar Jabari of Zhalfir Sidar Jabari of Zhalfir Eminence — Whenever you attack with one or more Knights, if Sidar Jabari is in the command zone or on the battlefield, draw a card, then discard a card.
Flying, first strike
Whenever Sidar Jabari deals combat damage to a player, return target Knight creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield. ties everything together. Just by sitting in the Command Zone, this legend turns all of your Knights into looting machines. Given how valuable this is, you’re heavily incentivized to get on board early and enable continuous attacks.

With this in mind, this deck features a bunch of one-mana, hard-to-block Knights like Cecil, Dark Knight Cecil, Dark Knight Deathtouch
Darkness — Whenever Cecil deals damage, you lose that much life. Then if your life total is less than or equal to half your starting life total, untap Cecil and transform it. , and Changeling Outcast Changeling Outcast Changeling (This card is every creature type.)
This creature can't block and can't be blocked. . Other inclusions like Forsworn Paladin Forsworn Paladin Menace
{1}{B}, {T}, Pay 1 life: Create a Treasure token.
{2}{B}: Target creature gets +2/+0 until end of turn. If mana from a Treasure was spent to activate this ability, that creature also gains deathtouch until end of turn. and Basri, Tomorrow’s Champion Basri, Tomorrow’s Champion {W}, {T}, Exert Basri: Create a 1/1 white Cat creature token with lifelink. (An exerted creature won't untap during your next untap step.)
Cycling {2}{W} ({2}{W}, Discard this card: Draw a card.)
When you cycle this card, Cats you control gain hexproof and indestructible until end of turn. that may eventually lose their luster as attackers come with solid activated abilities to keep them relevant.

Not only will your looting smooth out your draws, but you also get to discard huge haymakers like Hoarding Broodlord Hoarding Broodlord Convoke
Flying
When this creature enters, search your library for a card, exile it face down, then shuffle. For as long as that card remains exiled, you may play it.
Spells you cast from exile have convoke. and Archon of Cruelty Archon of Cruelty Flying
Whenever this creature enters or attacks, target opponent sacrifices a creature or planeswalker of their choice, discards a card, and loses 3 life. You draw a card and gain 3 life. . Then, using reanimation effects like Animate Dead Animate Dead Enchant creature card in a graveyard
When this Aura enters, if it's on the battlefield, it loses "enchant creature card in a graveyard" and gains "enchant creature put onto the battlefield with this Aura." Return enchanted creature card to the battlefield under your control and attach this Aura to it. When this Aura leaves the battlefield, that creature's controller sacrifices it.
Enchanted creature gets -1/-0. and Recurring Nightmare Recurring Nightmare Sacrifice a creature, Return this enchantment to its owner's hand: Return target creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield. Activate only as a sorcery. , you can get these monsters into play very quickly and ride them to victory. Notably, some of your reanimation targets, like Summon: Knights of Round Summon: Knights of Round (As this Saga enters and after your draw step, add a lore counter. Sacrifice after V.)
I, II, III, IV — Create three 2/2 white Knight creature tokens.
V — Ultimate End — Other creatures you control get +2/+2 until end of turn. Put an indestructible counter on each of them.
Indestructible and Summon: Primal Odin Summon: Primal Odin (As this Saga enters and after your draw step, add a lore counter. Sacrifice after III.)
I — Gungnir — Destroy target creature an opponent controls.
II — Zantetsuken — This creature gains "Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player, that player loses the game."
III — Hall of Sorrow — Draw two cards. Each player loses 2 life. , also double as Knights, allowing Sidar Jabari to reanimate them directly.

Attacking From Multiple Angles

Ultimately, this dual-threat archetype derives much of its appeal from its versatility. With access to cheap Knights that sneak under counterspells and a Commander that resurrects any that get killed, you’re fully capable of winning fair games versus control.

Yet, against other creature-centric decks like Brigid, Clachan’s Heart Brigid, Clachan’s Heart Whenever this creature enters or transforms into Brigid, Clachan's Heart, create a 1/1 green and white Kithkin creature token.
At the beginning of your first main phase, you may pay {G}. If you do, transform Brigid. where your small Knights quickly get outclassed, your big reanimation targets can still lead you to victory. An early reanimated bomb is particularly helpful for racing combo decks, especially when backed by Thoughtseize Thoughtseize Target player reveals their hand. You choose a nonland card from it. That player discards that card. You lose 2 life. and other discard spells.

Where things unfortunately can go awry, though, is in the face of hate cards, with graveyard hate like Containment Priest Containment Priest Flash
If a nontoken creature would enter and it wasn't cast, exile it instead. being an absolute nightmare. Otherwise, card draw punishers like Orcish Bowmasters Orcish Bowmasters Flash
When this creature enters and whenever an opponent draws a card except the first one they draw in each of their draw steps, this creature deals 1 damage to any target. Then amass Orcs 1. and Narset, Parter of Veils Narset, Parter of Veils Each opponent can't draw more than one card each turn.
−2: Look at the top four cards of your library. You may reveal a noncreature, nonland card from among them and put it into your hand. Put the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order. are brutal to face down because Sidar’s Eminence trigger is mandatory.

With these downsides in mind, it’s easy to see why Sidar hasn’t emerged as a top-tier Duel Commander option. Nonetheless, the Commander still has what it takes to compete, as its ability to attack from multiple angles is quite strong if the opponent isn’t prepared.

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