A quick restatement of my main takeaways from previous experiments with my playgroup:
-Anything that can give me a sudden boost of power is likely to give me a window to win the game.
-Things which overly clutter the board with abilities can easily become a surprise when the board gets too complicated.
-To that end, utility lands which have immediate board impact are probably a bad idea.
-Having too much removal can make it too easy to dominate (especially vs a single opponent).
-Having too much draw/resources can do the same.
Okay, so with that in mind: Gluntch, the Bestower.
I like Gluntch because he gives a lot of options while also being pretty weak. I've always been a fan of using resource donation as a way to subtly manipulate the board to help the opponents who are doing what you want, as a tricky way to pit enemies against each other rather than challenging them directly. That's obviously a big part of Phelddagrif, but he uses a very effective push-pull technique of removal alongside very efficient resource donation via the commander. This deck is going one direction only - every card involves giving an opponent a resource in some form or another. If we want to win, we've got to donate our way to success.
I will point out that I'm not that interesting in running cards like Howling Mine because there's not much strategic value to casting them, so they aren't very interesting. I'm not trying to group hug just for the sake of group hug. When I'm lowering my win% by choosing to cast the cards in my deck, that's not very fun imo. Something like Temple Bell, while outwardly very similar, ends up being very different since I can choose whether and when to activate it.
Because of the pretty tight restriction on what sorts of cards qualify, there's not much of a gameplan here - nor should there be one, really. So I'll eschew my normal grouping and just go by type.
Oh, and I'm going to challenge myself to avoid making any kind of deals while playing this deck. Strictly making decisions based on what I think will give me the best chance, with no putting my thumb on the scale.
Gluntch
Approximate Total Cost:
As I'm typing this out, I'm realizing that Generous Patron is almost certainly a big problem in this deck and unfortunately probably has to go. Anyway, besides that though, I think this is a deck that Gluntch would be proud of. I am a little concerned about how much removal there is in the deck, but I don't have a lot of alternatives that I actually like to replace them. So any good suggestions for cards that fit the criteria would be much appreciated.
