Haldan and Pako: Man's Best Friend
Introduction
This deck is a very simple two-step process: Pako fetches good things, and Haldan uses them. Pako gets bigger in the process, and Haldan plays more lands to recast Pako if someone tries to mess with him.
The deck is focused entirely on getting these two out and stealing resources to use against the opponents. Green offers cheap and effective ramp options to get Pako out a turn or two early, and blue offers cantrips that smooth out your draws. Red offers additional ways to steal resources from your opponents, plus extra removal options that traditional Simic decks don't have.
One of the coolest parts about this deck is the ability to turn simple removal spells into game-breaking steal-effects. Cards like Temporal Spring and Expel from Orazca can permanently exile a problem card, or take it and recast it on our side. Traditional cantrips like Ponder and Preordain become even more valuable when you can permanently store away key spells to use later.
Unfortunately, the biggest drawback with Haldan/Pako is the inability to fetch up creatures. Nothing feels worse than exiling a key creature from your deck that you can't get back. Therefore, I've tried to limit the creature spells wherever possible, in favor of non-creature alternatives. However, some creature spells have no equal in non-creature formats, or the non-creature alternatives are enough worse that the risk is worth it.
- You love ramping like crazy.
- You prefer non-creature spells to creatures.
- You enjoy the variance of winning with whatever your opponents happen to have in their decks.
- You want to steal all the things for yourself.
- You're a heckin' good boy!
Commander Analysis
Haldan is relatively cheap to cast at only . As such, he can come down in the mid-to-late game and still leave enough mana left over to cast one or two of the spells that his best friend Pako has brought him. The single mana symbol means he doesn't require a ton of fixing in a three-color deck.
The one downside of Pako is that he lacks any sort of evasion or protection. You have to carefully pick out the right person to attack each time. Granted, he triggers on attack and not on combat damage (like a good boy!), so you don't really have to worry about whether or not he actually connects with your opponent's face. But, eventually that can become a way to win the game.
Deck History
I goldfished a few more games, and eventually brought out a proxied-up deck online. The extra-combat stuff never really came up, as Pako always brought more goodies than I could handle. One thing I definitely overlooked at first was that you can play stolen lands, and every deck in the format is at least one-third lands. Unfortunately, the only non-creature ways to play more lands per turn were Exploration and Explore, so I had to make the concession to run a few creature-based ways to do this as well. I also noticed that playing with two hands full of cards meant that my regular hand was almost always full, so I didn't need extra combats to get me extra extra cards.
Deck Philosophy
Despite having all the best fixing options available, this is still a three-color deck, so I'm going to stick to single-pip counters over doubles for now.,
Whispersilk Cloak checks an extra box of making Pako unblockable, so if I was going to play one of these, I'd start there.
I tried a few of the extra combat spells for a bit, but they weren't very impressive. Aggravated Assault and Seize the Day are hanging around because they can be used more than once, but even those aren't exciting.
Card Choice Discussion
- Dryad of the Ilysian Grove: One of the few creatures that is currently too good to pass up. Fixes and plays extra lands, and a reasonable body for the cost.
- Wayward Swordtooth: This is the line in the sand that I've currently drawn on creatures that are worth the cut. This guy is cheap enough and does what I need him to do, and if I happen to get unlucky and exile him with Pako, oh well.
- Mina and Denn, Wildborn: Extra land drops are valuable enough to include this, and the other ability isn't too bad, either.
- Oracle of Mul Daya: Needs no introduction. Auto-include in every green deck I've ever made.
- Etali, Primal Storm: Pako's distant cousin who doesn't have haste, but makes up for it by being able to cast his stolen goodies for free.
- Domri, Anarch of Bolas: Everything that this version of Domri does fits with the general strategy. Pako is pretty good at fighting, and Domri can help accelerate into Pako and make sure he resolves. The passive +1/+0 isn't much, but it's still fine.
- Saheeli, Sublime Artificer: This comes in just behind Shark Typhoon. It's cheaper to cast, but more vulnerable to attack and makes smaller bodies.
- Jace, the Mind Sculptor: I've had super-Jace forever, but he was always just a "goodstuff" card in all my other blue decks. This feels like the best fit for him. 99% of the time I'll just Brainstorm, but having the random bounce or fateseal in a pinch is extra upside.
- Shadowspear: My favorite card from new Theros. Dirt cheap to cast, reasonable equip cost, two relevant abilities that all large creatures want, and a random bit of upside with the "hidden ability".
- Key to the City: The more I think about this, the less sure I am that it deserves a spot. Both abilities are fine...the cost of discarding an extra card to make Pako unblockable is minimal, but paying two mana to draw a card in a blue deck is pretty crappy, and Pako doesn't always care if he gets blocked.
- Strionic Resonator: The poster child for cards that fit just right here and nowhere else. Extra Pako trigers are extra good. Also works with Bear Umbra, Sunbird's Invocation, and other random triggers.
- Simic Ascendancy: The deck needs a win-con besides Pako commander damage, and this does a great job of doing that, as well as providing a mana sink.
- Sylvan Library: Always a solid card in any deck with basics Forests, and this one is no exception, since it cares (to some extent) about what's on top of the library.
- Aggravated Assault: One of the few extra combat cards I can justify because of its repeated use. There are some loose combo applications with Bear Umbra, but that's the kind of incidental combo I really like because each card is excellent on its own.
- As Foretold: *movie voice* In a world where you have two hands full of cards, being able to cast a few of those cards for free is more useful than you might think.
- Rhythm of the Wild: Comes down early, and does a lot of things that this deck wants to do. Pako usually just wants an extra +1 counter, but being able to get underneath counters is solid. Etali, for example, definitely appreciates the haste. The one small downside is that I've made several mentions of the fact that I don't run many creature spells, and Pako doesn't steal creatures, but there are other theft mechanisms that do steal creatures.
- Bear Umbra: Yet another solid card that never really had a true home for me until now.
- Stolen Strategy: See: Bear Umbra.
- Shark Typhoon: Fits like a glove. This is a non-creature spell that adds value every time you cast more non-creature spells. Alternatively, you can just make an instant-speed, uncounterable flyer. Can't get much more efficient than that.
- Mind's Dilation: See: Bear Umbra.
- Gamble: Tutors for anything, which I've found to be important. Mystical Tutor is underwhelming right now, and there's not nearly enough creatures for the green tutors.
- Stubborn Denial: A cheap counter that should always be a straight-up Negate for one mana.
- Metamorphose: An oldie, and it comes with some risk if they have a worse thing in their hand, but most of the time that's a risk you take in this format. Cheap and instant-speed as well.
- Mythos of Illuna: Yet another card that checks all the boxes. Sometimes, it copies an important creature. Sometimes, it does that AND fights something else. Sometimes, it copies my Shark Typhoon or my Field of the Dead. No matter what, it's a very flexible card.
- Alchemist's Refuge: I just love flash so much.
- Field of the Dead: Auto-include in almost every deck. Free bodies, zero setup cost.
- Kessig Wolf Run: Gives Pako that all-important evasion to push damage through, or turns a random body into a threat. This deck makes plenty of mana to pump into the X.
- Maze of Ith: Allows Pako to attack freely into someone who might have a nasty blocker, and randomly protects me on the back-swing as well.
- Surrak Dragonclaw: Protects Pako from those pesky counters, gives him the all-important keyword of trample, and even has flash to boot.
- Lashweed Lurker: A creature-based version of the top-of-deck removal spell I run a lot of. Probably too expensive and a creature.
- Basilisk Collar: Mostly for the flavor win with man's best friend, but the growing boy will get very big, and having deathtouch will make it that much more likely for someone else to let him through.
- Trailblazer's Boots: Early returns on this card were very strong: I've never seen a deck that had 0 non-basics. However, it's only one mana cheaper to cast than Whispersilk Cloak.
- Ponder, Preordain, Serum Visions: Cheap cantrips that also stack the top of my library for Pako. Sorcery-speed, one-time effects. Are they worth it over the likes of Sylvan Library or more cheap counters to protect Pako?
- Primal Command: Doesn't hit creatures, and it's sorcery-speed, but it offers some other reasonable modes instead.
- Totally Lost: Instant-speed, hits all the permanent types. A little more expensive because of the speed.
- Vanishment: This deck can set up miracles pretty effectively, and it's an instant.
- Set Adrift: The delve mechanic makes this a lot cheaper.
- Sphinx-Bone Wand: Tried it, sat there holding it in hand most of the time. Unlike Aria of Flame, the casting cost is enormous, which means waiting around for it to charge up takes even longer.
- Leyline of Anticipation: See Vedalken Orrery.
- Sunbird's Invocation: This card is the reason I play commander, but in this deck, half the spells I plan on casting aren't from my hand.
Deck Strategy
Credits and Thanks
ZenN for being a heckin' good boy!
Change Log
Rookie mistake not to snow up half my basics for Field of the Dead, and Mystic Sanctuary didn't have enough Islands to work properly.
ADDS
Sylvan should have been here the whole time, M&D's effects are invaluable, trying out the others.
Ascendancy finally came in the mail today, and the Helm wasn't doing what I wanted it to do for the price.
Shark-nado is too good not to play here. Gonna try it out instead of Surrak.
Saheeli, Sublime Artificer is next in line if this works.
Wanted to "gamble" on a tutor that could fetch up some key permanents.
Trying out the Wand as another "teeth" card.
Mythos just looks like it checks every box.
Saheeli, Sublime Artificer is next in line if this works.
The effects that stack the top of my library haven't been working out very well, and mostly just result in me getting locked out of any good draws, due to the lack of shuffle effects.
ADDS
The fun police came and did a number on this deck.
- Sphinx-Bone Wand and Curse of Opulence were just not good.
- Extra combat steps are not where I want to be with very few creatures that require protection.
- Thassa, God of the Sea also wasn't pulling her weight.
- As much as I loved the global flash mechanics, I needed to get cheaper and be able to protect the good boy.
- Sunbird's Invocation is still my favorite card in this format, but since I don't cast the cards I fetched from my hand, it doesn't trigger.