MTGNexus

I have an old Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder deck that wasn't been updated since Battle for Zendikar. It is a low budget deck, but I tried to keep good interactions. With Throne of Eldraine, Ayara, First of Locthwain seems a good addition to the deck, but then I thought that she could be better at helm instead of Endrek, with Endrek as part in the 99.

Any thought about this?

Endrek brings something unique to the table - he's like Black's Talrand. I feel like Ayara is another of a half dozen bleeder effects and an unexciting draw. She'd be awesome in Endrek's 99, because Endrek needs to remove thrulls, and draw is a valid reward for sacrifice. The life swap for each thrull isn't unwelcome either. Endrek Sahr has several routes for going infinite or effectively infinite.

I was planning to build an Endrek Sar deck for quite a while but never got around to it. Then Throne of Eldraine came around, and I built Syr Konrad and threw both Endrek and Ayara in the 99. I've had them both in play, and they are both fantastic choices.

I think they obviously both want to be in each other's decks, but if I were to choose between the two, I'd probably choose Ayara for a few reasons.
- Three mana cmc vs. five mana - If Endrek dies even once, he costs seven mana; Ayara comes down sooner and gets an extra death before hitting his cost.
- Card draw - card advantage right on your commander is great.
- Endrek dies more - he has a built-in death condition and one less toughness.

The problems I've always had with Endrek have been mana-related. Though he might provide bodies by the dozen, his 5-cmc pricetag and dependence on another creature cast, coupled with a weak body often feels like it's... not especially powerful. It doesn't help that Endrek has a hard cap on the board where he disposes of himself once you reach that. There are tricks one can engage in with Delraich and Demon of Death's Gate, and it feels great when Skirsdag High Priest comes with a pair of assistants, but, I found that Endrek's fun rarely got off the ground against players with spot removal. Endrek also only interacts with creature spells; a Sengir Autocrat will get you a whopping 8 bodies, total, but won't provide you with much fun beyond that unless you have another piece.

Ayara, on the other hand, is aggressively costed, and (I think) just about equally as interesting. Where Endrek provides clear body-vomit utility, Ayara grants a cute ETB effect and is a sac oulet. I think it's worth noting that Ayara interacts with creature spells, and non-creature spells that produce creatures. The aforementioned Sengir Autocrat will only net you four bodies in Ayara, but will immediately dome everyone for 4, and Ayara can pulp a Serfs into a card immediately. It only gets worse the more niche/weird the spells get; Ayara with something like Tombstone Stairwell will feel like complete BS, while I struggle to think of any single card that will make Endrek as ludicrous.

tl;dr: I think Ayara brings more to the table with an aggressive cost. Endrek can definitely provide more bodies, but Ayara is probably has more options for silly interactions while being a one-stop-shop for any creature-producing spell in your deck.

Endrek is an absolute all-star in Ayara. Even when I don't have a sac outlet at the ready, just dropping a 6 drop first and then something big later on that kills him will absolutely machinegun the table down. However, as a commander, Endrek is fun but not nearly as consistent as Ayara, and that's what matters to me. Endrek needs specific cards to keep his engine going. While they don't tend to be hard to get, it is easier to stop as Ayara who just needs you to drop a creature every turn. Endrek may have a higher ceiling given how utterly nuts he can get, but Ayara will have a better time keeping up on mediocre starts as well.

Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder and Ayara, First of Locthwain are both good cards for an aristocrats-ish deck, with tokens and sacrificing. They fulfill that sort of deck's requirements from different angles - Endrek provides tokens, while Ayara provides a sacrifice outlet and a payoff for making all those bodies.

In a vacuum, I would say that Ayara is likely the stronger commander, since she fills more roles. Card draw is always good to have on a commander, and the incidental drain makes your deck significantly more proactive - you don't have to wait to draw into a Blood Artist effect or some other payoff. Being cheaper is also a significant upside.

Still, if you can consistently have a sacrifice outlet and a payoff out, Endrek is going to look better. As sacrifice outlets go, Ayara needing to tap makes her a pretty inefficient one. So, to some extent it is going to depend on what your meta looks like. I've been in metas where I was lucky to have Ashnod's Altar for a single turn cycle, and I've also been in metas with zero artifact removal and no board wipes.

Mookie wrote: ↑

4 years ago

Still, if you can consistently have a sacrifice outlet and a payoff out, Endrek is going to look better. As sacrifice outlets go, Ayara needing to tap makes her a pretty inefficient one. So, to some extent it is going to depend on what your meta looks like. I've been in metas where I was lucky to have Ashnod's Altar for a single turn cycle, and I've also been in metas with zero artifact removal and no board wipes.

Just a friendly card throw-out, Thornbite Staff can help Ayara be ridiculous

Thanks for the thoughts, I will update my deck with Ayara at helm, keeping Endrek in 99 due his value on generating board. I will maintain a low budget to that list, but will keep tracking good synergies and combos.

I tend to use Endrek in token decks with a lot of sac outlets. But he's definitely more support than a main card. (I really don't want to have to rely on Conspiracy.)