One of the most enjoyable aspects of EDH is building around a Commander that brings something unique to the table. Even when focusing on a generic theme like Artifacts, there are so many legends to choose from that each feature their own special charm.
Of all the Artifacts Commanders out there, one that stands out due to its creative design is Tawnos, Solemn Survivor. This combo engine perfectly weaves Artifacts, Tokens, and Mill themes into one.
MTG Tawnos, Solemn Survivor
For just two mana, Tawnos, Solemn Survivor offers a ton of utility through two abilities that synergize with each other. Between milling cards and creating or copying artifact tokens, Tawnos has everything that you need to set up a powerful theme in just one card.
In order to get things rolling, however, you need to incorporate ways to make lots of expendable artifact tokens on the cheap. Creatures like Forensic Gadgeteer, Sai, Master Thopterist, and Oltec Matterweaver do a great job getting things started. To further bolster your game plan, Exalted Sunborn and Worldwaker Helm provide you with additional sacrifice fodder every time you make a token. Add in a source of card advantage like Caretaker’s Talent and you’re in business.
Realistically, you can probably win a game of Commander with just Tawnos’s first effect. Both Urza’s Saga and Simulacrum Synthesizer fit the mold, and the Constructs only get bigger when you have your other token makers online.
From there, in order to make Tawnos’ second ability as scary as possible, you’ll want to utilize ways to get big bombs into your graveyard. Being able to make token copies of both creatures and artifacts opens the door for haymakers from Archon of Cruelty to Portal to Phyrexia to take over games. This also means that traditional Reanimator tools, like Entomb and Buried Alive, can also help speed things up.
To get high curve cards out of your hand, discard outlets are also strong inclusions. Collector’s Vault, in particular, is a premium addition since each activation comes with a token. You can even use Nexus of Becoming to make token copies of any of your monsters rather than discarding them.
After you’ve successfully copied your late-game bomb, Tawnos sits in play, threatening to make more token copies of it every turn. This allows token doublers and other copy effects such as Extravagant Replication, to quickly snowball until your opponents can no longer keep up.
Combo Kills
For those who want to go above and beyond, Tawnos also opens the door for some sweet infinite combos. The simplest combo to pull off requires you to get Tawnos and Krark-Clan Ironworks in play, as well as a creature untap effect like Village Bell-Ringer into your graveyard.
Once you’ve set created a token copy of Village Bell-Ringer with Tawnos’s second ability, you can start to pull this combo off. Since your Bell-Ringer is an artifact token, you’ll be able to create copies of it with Tawnos. Extra tokens can be thrown into Krark-Clan Ironworks, supplementing the cost of Tawnos’s ability. This will ultimately result in you milling your library, allowing you to set up a Thassa’s Oracle kill. Otherwise, any Blood Artist-esque effect can easily win the game, while an extra mana dork will create infinite mana.
Taking things a step further, pairing Tawnos with Intruder Alarm makes it even easier to win the game. Creating an artifact Token copy of something like Priest of Gix can generate infinite mana and tokens. From here, you can win in any number of ways.
Criminally Underplayed
Despite being such a powerful and distinct Commander option, Tawnos, Solemn Survivor continues to be extremely underplayed. According to EDHREC, there are fewer than 1,200 total decks featuring Tawnos as the Commander, and only 3,800 decks make room for him in the 99. Considering Tawnos’ synergy with other Artifact Token Commanders like Urza, Chief Artificer, and Breya, Etherium Shaper, this is quite surprising.
While Tawnos sees less play than expected, it’s also an opportunity to get in for cheap. This hidden gem’s price tag barely cracks $0.30, thanks in large part to the card seeing little to no play. So, whether you’re looking for a cheap new Commander build-around or a strong upgrade to your Esper Artifacts EDH deck, consider giving Tawnos a whirl.
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