Tetsuo, Imperial Champion [Let's Brew!]

[Cyberium]

Tetsuo, Imperial Champion

Probably the only card I want to build around so far. I can picture him using Grafted Exoskeleton/Oathkeeper, Takeno's Daisho/Helm of the Host and extra combat like Relentless Assault and Strionic Resonator for multiple triggers. I don't think Tetsuo needs expensive equipment to be effective, since some of the most useful spells are already 5cc or less.

Ironically, many spells that'd accompany Tetsuo would also come from an average Bolas control deck (discard, wheel, removal). For blasphemy's sake, it'd be fun to add Bolas into a Tetsuo just so he'd serve the man who defeated him. XD

Also, free spells like Ancestral Vision, Wheel of Fate, Inevitable Betrayal, and Profane Tutor can be cast through Tetsuo.

[darrenhabib]

Godo, Bandit Warlord to untap Tetsuo, Imperial Champion as well.

Giving Tetsuo deathtouch means he can kill any creature; Basilisk Collar, Gorgon Flail, Gorgon's Head, Quietus Spike, Reaper's Talisman, Vorpal Sword.

Hammer of Nazahn, Embercleave, Pact Weapon.

Nightmare Lash and Lashwrithe can be equipped with no mana which can be really important when you are looking to cast Tetsuo and then follow up with a 4 mana equipment to get value that same turn.
Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth to make these more powerful.

Brass Knuckles to fill in another 4 mana with cheap equip cost and gives you some redundancy against artifact removal.

There are a healthy dose of 3 and 2 mana equipment, the good Swords, Umezawa's Jitte, The Reality Chip, Lightning Greaves, Sword of the Animist, Swiftfoot Boots, Champion's Helm.

Spellbinder could go with the instant/sorcery theme.

Brass Squire to equip.

As far as choosing a lane it does seem like you are either going for 3 mana or less equipment, or potentially going for 4 mana ones as well. So you really have to look at 4 mana instant and sorcery that you REALLY want to play.
Anchor to Reality, Seize the Day, Reckless Crew, Relentless Assault are the only on theme cards I found.
So my gut feel is that you could really concentrate on 3 and 2 mana equipment to get all the value you need from instant and sorcery.
I feel like the only other unique effects you can get from 4 mana are Polymorph type cards; Madcap Experiment, Reality Scramble, Shape Anew, Transmogrify. You'd need to mix these up with token generators.

[TheGildedGoose]

Disappointed that Tetsuo isn't depicted as overweight. There's not a lot of representation, basically only Karlov of the Ghost Council and Abomination.

Anyway, I love this design quite a bit, which is great because Tetsuo was one of the returning legends I was looking forward to the most. I would focus on 3 mv or less spells, as there's a critical density of equipment at 3 mv that are actually playable. Of course, there's a tension here; cheap spells are less powerful to cheat out, but expensive equipment are often unplayable.

Kicker and other spells with additional costs could be useful. Into the Roil and Blink of an Eye are near auto includes in non-white decks since they're an efficient - if temporary - solution to most problematic permanents. Probe is a classic I always wanted to play and is absolutely bananas when cast at 2 mv at instant speed. Capsize is also likely good. Maybe that's too much bounce, though.

Low cost draw effects are pretty solid. Chart a Course, Night's Whisper, Sign in Blood, et al. become even better when they're free, allowing you to keep your foot on the gas while still being threatening with equipment and/or keeping protection up.

Obligatory Teferi's Veil recommendation.

[TheGildedGoose]

Here's a rough draft I threw together. I'm probably running too much equipment, and I think my tutor package is a bit overwrought, but I think it's close to where I want to be.

My Name is Tetsuo

DecklistCMCManaPricesChartsDraw 7

Commander:

1 Tetsuo, Imperial Champion

Lands: 37

1 Command Tower

1 Xander's Lounge

1 Arid Mesa

1 Bloodstained Mire

1 Flooded Strand

1 Marsh Flats

1 Misty Rainforest

1 Polluted Delta

1 Scalding Tarn

1 Verdant Catacombs

1 Wooded Foothills

1 Drowned Catacomb

1 Morphic Pool

1 Shipwreck Marsh

1 Sunken Hollow

1 Sunken Ruins

1 Underground River

1 Watery Grave

1 Stormcarved Coast

1 Steam Vents

1 Sulfur Falls

1 Training Center

1 Blood Crypt

1 Academy Ruins

1 Bojuka Bog

1 Cavern of Souls

1 Otawara, Soaring City

1 Strip Mine

1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth

1 Mountain

6 Island

1 Swamp

Ramp: 9

1 Sol Ring

1 Arcane Signet

1 Fellwar Stone

1 Dimir Signet

1 Izzet Signet

1 Rakdos Signet

1 Talisman of Creativity

1 Talisman of Dominance

1 Talisman of Indulgence

Protection: 9

1 An Offer You Can't Refuse

1 Swan Song

1 Counterspell

1 Delay

1 Mana Drain

1 Negate

1 Disallow

1 Fierce Guardianship

1 Teferi's Veil

Draw: 9

1 Brainstorm

1 Ponder

1 Preordain

1 Chart a Course

1 Expressive Iteration

1 Night's Whisper

1 Sign in Blood

1 Notion Rain

1 Read the Bones

Tutor: 7

1 Imperial Seal

1 Vampiric Tutor

1 Demonic Tutor

1 Muddle the Mixture

1 Fabricate

1 Tribute Mage

1 Trophy Mage

Removal: 10

1 Blink of an Eye

1 Cyclonic Rift

1 Infernal Grasp

1 Into the Roil

1 Terminate

1 Crosis's Charm

1 Toxic Deluge

1 Damnation

1 Evacuation

1 Blasphemous Act

Suit Up: 18

1 Basilisk Collar

1 Vorpal Sword

1 Blackblade Reforged

1 Conqueror's Flail

1 Lightning Greaves

1 Runechanter's Pike

1 Swiftfoot Boots

1 Winged Boots

1 Grafted Wargear

1 Mask of Griselbrand

1 Oathkeeper, Takeno's Daisho

1 Quietus Spike

1 Sword of Feast and Famine

1 Sword of Fire and Ice

1 Sword of Sinew and Steel

1 Tenza, Godo's Maul

1 Two-Handed Axe

1 Hammer of Nazahn

Approximate Total Cost:

[TheAmericanSpirit]

My main concern with New Tetsuo is the general weakness of equipment as a card type. Artifact removal is on the rise with all the treasure being thrown around, and while a lot of these equipment protect Tetsuo, none of them protect themselves. I see end of 1st main/midcombat instant speed artifact removal being perhaps a major problem for this commander leading to some unfortunate tempo loss and 2 for 1's. Maybe something like Lazotep Plating or Padeem, Consul of Innovation would help mitigate this weakness.

[duducrash]

There's not a lot of representation

While this is true and we need more chubby kings I'll die on the hill that Isshin, Two Heavens as One is 100% a bear king. Also Hans Eriksson . But slim Tetsuo was a blow I wasn't expecting. it's erasure lmao

[hyalopterouslemur]

Just think of it as era. Being overweight was pretty rare in premodern times, almost always seen as a sign of status.

Darksteel Plate protects Tetsuo and itself, but it doesn't boost his power.

Umezawa's Jitte would also be useful here.

You can also find equipment that gives him +1/+1 counters.

[Cyberium]

Disappointed that Tetsuo isn't depicted as overweight. There's not a lot of representation, basically only Karlov of the Ghost Council and Abomination.

That'd be interesting to see, consider most depiction of East Asians had been on the slim side.

There are new creatures like Keldon Flamesage that'd benefit from both equipment and having spells in your deck.

I play tested a few variation of Tetsuo decks, the line between artifact and spells is tricky to balance. On one hand the equipments need to be protected (Padeem, Consul of Innovation, even utilized (Inspiring Statuary), but the more artifact related cards you add to your deck the less space you have for spells. Tetsuo also triggers base on the cc of an equipment on him, not how many he has, and you better have a spell in hand that'd suit the occasion.

Multi-purpose cards like Crosis's Charm, Wretched Confluence, and Drown in the Loch seem to be the best options due to their versatility. I presume you can buyback Capsize after it's being cast through Tetsuo, too.

[onering]

Original Tetsuo's art made him look overweight. He may have been, or it may have been his puffy clothes.

[TheGildedGoose]

Original Tetsuo's art made him look overweight. He may have been, or it may have been his puffy clothes.

This is what erasure looks like.

[kirkusjones]

Original Tetsuo's art made him look overweight. He may have been, or it may have been his puffy clothes.

This is what erasure looks like.

Give a little respect.