While Magic’s most popular creature types routinely see tons of support, fans of more niche archetypes usually get the short end of the stick. To help make up for this, the rare focused support that more niche typal decks get usually proves very powerful. Zask, Skittering Swarmlord, for example, is an absolutely incredible Commander that alone makes Insect Typal worth trying.
MTG Zask, Skittering Swarmlord
For Insect Typal strategies, Zask, Skittering Swarmlord essentially makes your graveyard act as your second hand. To make this work without being absolutely broken, Zask will tuck any Insects that die back into your deck, offering some mill in exchange for the trouble.
With this in mind, running as many utility Insects as possible lets Zask mill over cards to create free value. Caustic Caterpillar and Haywire Mite serve as artifact removal, for example, while Firdoch Core and Mutable Explorer offer compelling ramp. Springleaf Parade is particularly good here, giving you lots of bodies for more traditional typal buffs while ramping you.
Since Zask can also play lands from your graveyard, Landfall Insects, like Scute Swarm and Icetill Explorer, can easily fit in. With a mill and Landfall subtheme, cards like Mole Man, Moloid Master and Exploration can create a lot of value. Once you have your engine set up, you can bring in Mightform Harmonizer for a one-hit kill.
In addition to landfall and Insect strategies, Flashback spells like Dread Return can become far more consistent, offering Zask a reanimator subtheme alongside Insects like Seedship Broodtender. Pair this with graveyard recursion like Eternal Witness, and additional mill effects like Mesmeric Orb, and you should never run out of things to do.
Since Zask can give your Insects Deathtouch, you can use unblocked attacks to your advantage with cards like Toski, Bearer of Secrets and Ohran Frostfang. With the sheer amount of Insects Zask will want in play, you can quickly swing for tons of damage using staple typal payoffs like Coat of Arms and Chronicle of Victory.
Sacrificing Insects Infinitely
While Zask’s bottom-of-deck clause is a necessary downside to prevent the Commander from being absolutely broken, it can still create some infinite combos. With Verdant Succession and Zask, for example, you can turn any other Insect creature into infinite mill with a sacrifice outlet.
Just sacrifice your Insect to something like Phyrexian Altar, and Zask will tuck it into the bottom of your deck. Verdant Succession will bring that creature back into play, while Zask mills two cards. From here, you can naturally mill your library out, winning the game with the new Doctor Doom, Unrivaled.
Because Zask can play lands from the graveyard, it also has some Glacial Chasm locks that it can pull off. Using an Exploration effect, you can continually replay Glacial Chasm without paying its Cumulative Upkeep cost, preventing damage indefinitely. Since you can play two lands per turn, you’ll always be able to play another land to satisfy Glacial Chasm’s sacrificial entry trigger.
One Catch
Between its wide variety of different angles and infinite combo potential, there’s a lot you can do with Zask, Skittering Swarmlord. Even with this in consideration, however, Insect Typal isn’t the most popular archetype, leading Zask to have only 5,369 decks to its name according to EDHREC.
Sadly, unlike many underplayed MTG Commanders, Zask isn’t a budget pickup thanks to its rarity. Exclusively appearing as a rare in Jumpstart 2022, Zask, Skittering Swarmlord is surprisingly expensive, demanding $38 after shipping on TCGplayer at the absolute cheapest. Despite this cost, if you want to build an Insect-type Commander, you won’t find a better option.
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