Once Juri, Master of the Review was spoiled, I felt like he was actually the best commander for the strategy. Judith was effectively a Blood Artist in the command zone. Hers was hardly a glorious position. She was the payoff for an infinite combo with Grenzo, Dungeon Warden, Ashnod's Altar and The Cauldron of Eternity. Early on, I'd loop an apostle, but eventually, I "discovered" that I could just loop her.
Juri is a much better fit in this regard. His trigger is off "sacrifice" rather than "dies", so he can go off on the same turn that I cast Yawgmoth's Will. Also, Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker is a pretty powerful card in the strategy, but all the time I was using Judith, I forgot about her anthem effect, and never realized it nullified Shirei and my apostles. Juri has no such anthem, and Shirei actually works.
Theoretically, Juri also allows a voltron plan, but this deck doesn't go there. If I discover I mostly only play 1v1, I might adjust accordingly. My pre-Covid playgroup consisted of a pool of six players of whom typically four could play any given session. They're awesome at grindy board states. I'm not. My goal is to play over them rather than with them, or I'll continue to lose every game as I have thus far.
The strategy: Assemble six apostles. Find Razaketh, the Foulblooded. Assemble the aforementioned infinite combo. The deck is full of big draw, alternate tutors and cost reducing effects to allow for alternative means to the same end. The interaction is pretty Jujitsu in nature, mostly for style, and a little for politics.
Master and Commander
Approximate Total Cost:
