Eldrazi Incursion Upgrade Guide: A Comprehensive Overview
Modern Horizons 3 introduces Eldrazi Incursion, demanding strategic deck enhancements for Modern and Commander formats. This guide explores key upgrades and synergies.
Eldrazi Incursion, a significant component of Magic: The Gathering’s Modern Horizons 3, reintroduces the formidable Eldrazi to the Modern format and offers exciting possibilities for Commander play. This set isn’t merely a reprint; it presents new cards like Angelic Aberration, Artisan of Kozilek, and Azlask, the Swelling Scourge, alongside returning favorites.
The core of Eldrazi Incursion revolves around mana ramp, enabling players to quickly deploy massive Eldrazi creatures. The set’s design emphasizes scaling power, with cards like Azlask growing stronger with each Eldrazi cast. Understanding these mechanics is crucial for building a competitive deck, whether focused on overwhelming opponents in Modern or creating synergistic builds in Commander.
Understanding the Deck’s Core Strategy
The central strategy of an Eldrazi Incursion deck hinges on explosive mana ramp, swiftly transitioning into deploying high-impact Eldrazi threats. Early game focuses on artifacts like Arcane Signet and Dreamstone Hedron to accelerate mana production. This allows for the quick casting of powerful Eldrazi, overwhelming opponents with sheer size and disruptive abilities.
Mid-to-late game shifts towards utilizing larger mana sources such as Everflowing Chalice and Hedron Archive. Synergy is key; cards like Forsaken Monument provide card advantage, fueling the Eldrazi onslaught. The deck aims to control the board through efficient creatures and disrupt opponent’s strategies while building towards a decisive, game-ending Eldrazi turn.
Key Cards and Their Roles
Eldrazi Incursion features pivotal cards like Angelic Aberration, Artisan of Kozilek, and Azlask, the Swelling Scourge, each fulfilling unique roles in the deck’s strategy.
Angelic Aberration: A Powerful Midrange Threat
Angelic Aberration emerges as a significant midrange creature within the Eldrazi Incursion deck, offering substantial value as the game progresses. Its power and toughness scale with the number of Eldrazi cards in your graveyard, making it increasingly formidable.
Effectively utilizing Angelic Aberration requires a strategy focused on consistently filling the graveyard with Eldrazi creatures. Cards like Artisan of Kozilek, which produce Eldrazi Scions, directly contribute to this goal.
The Aberration’s flying ability provides crucial evasion, allowing it to bypass ground-based blockers and apply consistent pressure to opponents. It’s a key component for transitioning from early-game ramp into a dominant mid-to-late game presence, demanding removal from your opponent.
Artisan of Kozilek: Mana Ramp and Eldrazi Production
Artisan of Kozilek is a cornerstone of the Eldrazi Incursion strategy, functioning as both a potent mana ramp engine and a consistent source of Eldrazi Scions. These Scions are invaluable, providing both colorless mana for casting larger Eldrazi and contributing to the graveyard count for cards like Angelic Aberration.
The Artisan’s ability to tap for two colorless mana is crucial for accelerating into high-cost threats. Generating Eldrazi Scions each turn ensures a steady stream of resources, allowing for continuous development of your board state.
Prioritizing the Artisan’s survival is key, as its continued production of Scions is vital for maintaining momentum. Protecting it with counterspells or removal protection can significantly enhance its effectiveness.
Azlask, the Swelling Scourge: Scaling Power and Board Presence
Azlask, the Swelling Scourge represents a significant late-game threat within the Eldrazi Incursion deck, offering scaling power and overwhelming board presence. Each time you cast an Eldrazi spell, Azlask grows, becoming an increasingly formidable attacker and blocker.
Its ability to create a token upon entering the battlefield immediately establishes a presence, and the continuous growth ensures it remains relevant throughout the game. Synergizing with the deck’s focus on Eldrazi creatures, Azlask quickly becomes a game-ending threat.
Protecting Azlask is paramount; removal spells can severely hinder your strategy. Consider including cards that offer hexproof or indestructible to safeguard this powerful creature.
Upgrade Paths for Eldrazi Incursion
Eldrazi Incursion benefits from focused upgrades in mana ramp and creature base enhancement, maximizing synergy and power within Modern and Commander play.
Enhancing Mana Ramp
Eldrazi creatures demand substantial mana, making ramp crucial for consistent performance. Arcane Signet and Dreamstone Hedron provide early acceleration, enabling quicker deployment of key threats. These artifacts establish a foundation for mid-game dominance.
For sustained mana generation, consider Everflowing Chalice and Hedron Archive. Everflowing Chalice scales with your mana base, offering significant returns as the game progresses. Hedron Archive provides both ramp and card draw, mitigating potential resource depletion. Prioritizing these mana sources ensures you can consistently cast powerful Eldrazi and overwhelm opponents. Efficient ramp is the cornerstone of a successful Eldrazi Incursion strategy.
Arcane Signet and Dreamstone Hedron: Early Game Acceleration
Arcane Signet is a staple in many Commander and Modern decks, and Eldrazi Incursion is no exception. Its ability to produce any color of mana for just two mana is incredibly efficient, allowing for faster deployment of early-game threats or ramp spells. Complementing Arcane Signet, Dreamstone Hedron offers a repeatable mana source, albeit at a slightly higher cost.
Dreamstone Hedron’s scry ability provides subtle card selection, smoothing out draws and increasing the likelihood of finding crucial Eldrazi or ramp pieces. These artifacts are vital for establishing a mana advantage in the early turns, setting the stage for dominating the mid and late game with powerful creatures.
Everflowing Chalice & Hedron Archive: Mid-to-Late Game Mana Sources
As the game progresses, Everflowing Chalice becomes a potent mana engine for Eldrazi Incursion. While initially requiring a significant mana investment to fill, it provides a substantial and consistent mana boost, crucial for casting large Eldrazi creatures. Its scaling potential makes it invaluable in longer games.
Hedron Archive offers a different, yet equally important, function. It’s a repeatable mana source that also provides card advantage when sacrificed. This flexibility is key for recovering from board wipes or finding answers to opposing threats. Both artifacts synergize beautifully, ensuring a steady flow of mana throughout the mid and late game phases.
Boosting Eldrazi Creature Base
Expanding beyond the core Eldrazi is vital for a resilient Eldrazi Incursion deck. Consider adding utility creatures like Benthic Anomaly, which can disrupt opponents by taxing their spells, and Bismuth Mindrender, offering valuable card selection. These additions provide control elements alongside raw power.
Furthermore, synergistic Eldrazi support creatures like Chittering Dispatcher and Spawnbed Protector amplify the deck’s strengths. Dispatcher efficiently removes smaller threats, while Protector generates additional Eldrazi Scions, accelerating mana production and bolstering board presence. These creatures enhance the deck’s overall consistency and resilience.
Benthic Anomaly & Bismuth Mindrender: Utility and Disruption
Benthic Anomaly functions as a potent stax piece, increasing the cost of noncreature spells your opponents cast – a significant disruption tactic in Modern. This control element slows down faster strategies, buying time to establish your Eldrazi threats. Its ability to tax spells is particularly effective against combo decks.
Complementing this, Bismuth Mindrender provides card selection, crucial for finding key pieces. Discarding a card to look at the top three and keep one is a valuable effect, smoothing out draws and increasing consistency. Both cards offer utility beyond raw power, enhancing the deck’s adaptability and resilience against diverse strategies.
Chittering Dispatcher & Spawnbed Protector: Synergistic Eldrazi Support
Chittering Dispatcher excels at generating Eldrazi Scions, providing both mana ramp and chump blockers. This creature directly fuels Artisan of Kozilek and other high-cost Eldrazi, accelerating your game plan. The Scions also act as sacrificial fodder, protecting your more valuable creatures from removal.
Spawnbed Protector further amplifies this synergy, granting your Eldrazi Scions +1/+1 and vigilance. This transforms them into legitimate threats, capable of applying pressure and disrupting opponents. The combination creates a resilient board presence, overwhelming opponents with a constant stream of Eldrazi tokens and scaling creatures.
Synergies and Combos
Eldrazi Monument and Forsaken Monument unlock powerful overrun effects and card advantage, respectively, when combined with the numerous Eldrazi creatures.
Eldrazi Monument: Overrun Potential
Eldrazi Monument is a cornerstone for explosive turns within an Eldrazi Incursion deck. This artifact grants +1/+1 and trample to all your Eldrazi creatures, immediately transforming a board presence into a significant threat.
The real power lies in its bestow ability. Attaching it to a creature provides flying and indestructible, making it incredibly difficult to remove. Combined with the sheer size potential of cards like Azlask, the Swelling Scourge, Eldrazi Monument can quickly lead to one-shot kills.
Prioritize protecting this artifact, as its removal significantly diminishes the deck’s late-game power. Consider including counterspells or protection spells to ensure its continued impact. It’s a game-winning card when properly supported.
Forsaken Monument: Card Advantage with Eldrazi
Forsaken Monument provides crucial card advantage, a common weakness in many Eldrazi-focused strategies. This artifact allows you to exchange Eldrazi creatures for additional cards, fueling your hand and maintaining momentum.
The key is maximizing the value of the exchange. Sacrificing smaller Eldrazi tokens generated by Artisan of Kozilek or Spawnbed Protector is an efficient way to draw cards without sacrificing significant board presence.
This synergy is particularly potent in the late game, allowing you to cycle through your deck to find answers or additional threats. Consider including cards that generate multiple Eldrazi tokens to fully leverage Forsaken Monument’s potential. It’s a vital engine for sustained pressure.
Modern Format Considerations
Eldrazi Incursion demands adaptation to Modern’s fast pace. Addressing potential weaknesses and understanding the current metagame are crucial for competitive success.
Adapting to the Modern Metagame
The Modern format is a dynamic landscape, requiring Eldrazi Incursion decks to be flexible. Expect frequent matchups against established archetypes like Rakdos Midrange, Murktide Regent, and various control strategies. Sideboard construction is paramount; include answers to common threats like graveyard hate, enchantment removal (for Eldrazi Monument), and efficient creature removal.
Consider cards that provide disruption, such as discard spells or countermagic, to hinder opponent’s key plays. Prioritize maintaining a consistent mana base to reliably cast your powerful Eldrazi threats. Be prepared to adjust your strategy based on opponent’s deck – sometimes a more aggressive approach is needed, while other times a slower, more controlling gameplan is optimal. Analyzing metagame trends is vital for long-term success.
Potential Weaknesses and How to Address Them
Eldrazi Incursion decks, while powerful, aren’t without vulnerabilities. A primary weakness is susceptibility to board wipes, as rebuilding from scratch can be slow. Include resilient threats like Azlask, the Swelling Scourge, and cards that generate value even after removal. Another concern is reliance on the graveyard; graveyard hate can cripple strategies utilizing recursion.
Furthermore, mana consistency is crucial. Stumbling in the early game can leave you vulnerable. Cards like Arcane Signet and Dreamstone Hedron mitigate this. Finally, be mindful of decks that can go wide quickly, overwhelming your early defenses. Sideboard options like sweepers or efficient removal are essential to address these challenges and maintain a competitive edge.
Commander Deck Integration
Eldrazi Incursion cards seamlessly integrate into Commander builds, offering powerful synergies with existing staples and enhancing ramp strategies for Eldrazi titans.
Utilizing Eldrazi Incursion Cards in Commander Builds
Eldrazi Incursion provides potent additions to Commander decks, particularly those leaning into artifact synergies or Eldrazi tribal themes. Cards like Artisan of Kozilek accelerate mana production, crucial for deploying high-cost Eldrazi. Angelic Aberration offers a strong midrange threat, scaling with opponent’s creatures.
Consider incorporating Forsaken Monument for card advantage, drawing cards whenever you cast an Eldrazi spell. Eldrazi Monument can create an overwhelming overrun effect, boosting your creatures.
Focus on commanders that benefit from a high creature count or artifact focus. Decks built around colorless strategies will also find these cards exceptionally valuable, maximizing their potential within the Commander format. Prioritize ramp to consistently cast these powerful beings.
Synergies with Existing Commander Staples
Eldrazi Incursion cards synergize remarkably well with established Commander staples. Artifact-focused commanders like Breya, Etherium Shaper benefit from the influx of powerful Eldrazi artifacts like Hedron Archive and Everflowing Chalice, providing both ramp and utility.
Decks utilizing graveyard recursion, such as Meren of Clan Nel Toth, can repeatedly cast Eldrazi from the graveyard, maximizing value. Commanders that care about creature size, like Ezuri, Claw of Progress, amplify the impact of Azlask, the Swelling Scourge and other scaling Eldrazi.
Cards like Sol Ring and Command Tower remain essential, supporting the mana base needed to cast these formidable creatures. Consider cards that tutor for artifacts to consistently find key pieces.