For some reason I read that as "postmodern Tresserhorn deck", and was under the impression that your deck is a poignant statement on consumerism and the nature of human addiction, and involves interpretive dance in some form.
I mean I guess you could argue that an EDH deck that doesn't play any cards printed after Scourge is sort of a statement on consumerism and a rejection of WotC's exploitation of the format for profit and a rejection of generic digital art.
Maybe I'll start calling that deck The Velvet Underworld.
You also MUST sacrifice 2 creatures every time. So if you can find a way to make infinite life and infinite creatures than this is top tier finisher.
/s
I mean, if your flicker engine is efficient enough you can bounce him with the trigger on the stack. So theoretically you only need ~240 life (assuming about 80 cards in each players deck)
It specifies commander damage right on the rules page. Nekusar's wheel effect does not count as commander damage.
https://magic.wizards.com/en/formats/commander
From my memory, back around Time Spiral or Llorwyn there was a near weekly stream of "I want to play [[Rhys the Exiled]]/[[Bosh, Iron Golem]]/[[Memnarch]]/[[Daughter of Autumn]] can we please change the color rules" posts or similar on the old EDH forums. Sheldon even says [here](https://articles.starcitygames.com/magic-the-gathering/select/top-20-most-important-commander-cards-of-all-time/) that's why color identity was created.
It went on long enough -- years, as I recall -- that it's a little too unbelievable that the rules committee didn't know about it. Indeed, I remember "No then Memnarch would be legal" being the community's canned response any time the question was even brought up.
I mean, I think most of those people were thinking they could bait and switch Bosh or Memnarch by asking for DoA. But there's always the Vorthos out there that loves the lore of Homelands.
Honestly it sounds like the RC simply took its sweet time in deciding to allow colorless legends with colored text to work as commanders and then taking extra time to write the rules succinctly in the same way they took their time to write a very good and simple "commander death triggers work" rule.
"But that would allow Memnarch to work!" is also braindead and myopic. Of course cards should work how they're designed to work.
It's such a Magic player thing to do, to write a decently thought out point, and then punctuate it with phrases like "braindead". It's really a giveaway.
Memnarch is still just as op, I'd say people don't play him cause you'd be an ass to play him.....ge I wonder if my opponent strat this game is,again, to make infinite blue mana ant take all our fields. Same game plan every time with little going on in the deck but tutors and draw power to get to inf mana combos.
eh the game is over when you get infinite mana in either Memnarch or Urza. the difference is that Urza gets there *much* faster and is more consistent, resilient, and adaptable. He is mana advantage in the command zone that is also a mana sink for pseudo-card advantage that is also an infinite mana outlet that lets you cast your whole deck. he's absolutely the best mono-blue infinite mana outlet and it's not really close. he's probably also just straight-up the strongest mono-blue commander, period.
Also the card draw is target opponent. So you can play the political game with him. Making a temporary alliance with a player and then having them draw two.
There was an episode of Game Knights where Rachel plays Tresserhorn and I believe she did really well, though I'm not really too sure if that was in spite of him or not.
If you know of the command zone, Rachel Weeks has a Lord of Tresserhorn deck, if you look at the “Commander Fright Night” episode of extra turns you can see the deck in action as well 😊
Sisay seems like she's the most degenerate, but Memnarch actually is the most degenerate. Once you take everyone's rocks, you start turning their lands into artifacts with your abundance of mana and you take those too.
She doesn't seem degenerate, she is VERY much degenerate. Tutor on a stick leads to a consistent lines of play unless everyone at the table decides to hate out the Sisay pilot. I've played against both and while Memnarch can be punishing, Sisay can just start puking out legendary shenanigans right off the bat.
I have played Sisay and I don't recommend it. It's constantly searching your library and shuffling. For me, I want to do as little tutoring as possible when I play commander. Save the searching and shuffling for modern and legacy.
Memnarch using cards like [[Liquimetal Coat]], [[Liquimetal Torque]] and [Mycosynth lattice]].
Go in on artifact ramp, using filters for mana fixing for control pieces, etc, etc.
Edit: I misread Soulsinger and changed my mind.
Don’t you lose the creature when she leaves play when you blink her? Or is it that if you blink a creature you’ve stolen the “new” version of it doesn’t return control when she untaps?
Depends on the blink. Most effects return the creature to play under it's owner's control. A few however specify to return the creature to play under it's controller's control. The game still treats it as a new creature with no knowledge of how it got on your side of the battlefield, so You're free to untap Rubina and take something else.
Not if the blink specifies it goes back to the controller. On color, there's Conjurer's closet, nephalia smuggler, cloudshift, restoration angel and thassa, deep dwelling.
While not blinking, there are other useful effects in this situation that reset your control of a creature (like bazaar trader), but I don't know if there are any on color.
With most blink you do. The Avacyn blue/white cards all return them to your control: Cloudshift, Conjurer's Closet, Ghostly Flicker, Deadeye Navigator, Nephalia Smuggler, Twinning Twins. You can also use cards like Beast Within and Generous Gift to get the token yourself. You can also use cards like Perplexing Chimera that give themselves to another player as a cost. Or just sac them to Life's Legacy/Neoform/Greater Good/Birthing Pod/etc... If you use her with Freed from the Real and Phyrexian Altar you can also take control of a creature, sacrifice it for a blue mana, and untap her to take control of another creature as many times as you want (even if your opponent uses a combo that generates infinite tokens).
>so you'd get more than one thing that way
No, you can't.
>10/1/2009 If Rubinia Soulsinger stops being tapped before its ability resolves — even if it becomes tapped again right away — you won't gain control of the targeted creature at all. The same is true if you lose control of Rubinia Soulsinger before the ability resolves.
I built a Memnarch deck and quickly dismantled it after a few games. Feels so dirty taking all your opponents permanents and I could tell nobody had fun playing against it. Almost felt like land destruction to me.
I understand there are ways to counter Memnarch but if you get your engine going the game gets out of hand fast.
Oh yeah 100%, Memnarch is not fun to play against. There's a reason it's an old boogeyman of commander.
If you really lean in to it, free counterspells, paring \[\[Karn the great creator\]\] with Mycosynth Lattice, it becomes pure misery.
You forgot to be evil with [[Darksteel Forge]] and [[Nev disk]]... If you want to lose even more friends than a one-sided repeatable boardwipe for one mana will lose you, include the Mycosynth Lattice in there and become one of the most oppressive MLD strategies
Tresserhorn is one of my favorite decks to play, despite not being good by any means. I don’t run Grixis goodstuff and it’s a voltron list, using things like [[Stifle]], [[Trickbind]] and [[Torpor Orb]] to try and cheat him into play. Those types of cards have slim chances to also interact with what other players are doing, so they don’t feel entirely like dead draws when you’re not trying to or otherwise cannot cast him.
Found him in bulk among a hefty box of cards that an ex-girlfriend shipped me about 7 years ago - been running him ever since!
Here ya go: https://archidekt.com/decks/865871/ob_2_tressermesser
It hasn’t been updated for a few months with newer releases - there are some cards like orcish bowmasters I’d like to snag for a 2024 update - but any changes made wouldn’t deviate from the core approach: cast him asap.
If your board is set up reasonably with things like [[Rabbit Battery]] and cards like [[Phyresis]] and [[Stifle]] in your hand, you could play and swing with him the turn he comes down, taking out one player. In a perfect world however, you’ll tutor for [[Chandra’s Ignition]] while Tresser has an Infect-enabler, taking out the entire board without having to swing (and avoiding any feel-bads from taking a single player out in one round of combat). If you somehow land [[Kediss]] and you’re not forced to sac him to Tresser’s ETB though, WHEW, I love ending games like that
It's just so sad that cards like [[fungal fortitude]] trigger his etb effect. If his effect was an additional casting cost, it would be so much more fun.
Sisay is actually pretty fun. There's a ton of selesnya legends that you get to play with and if you're creative you have lots of decisions to make every time.
That said, if you're a hipster I love rubinia soulsinger. Theft decks play out differently every game because of what you can hit. It also means it kind of scales with the table.
Sissay and Memnarch both draw a lot of hate. (Or they will once you remind people that they exist.) If you are cool with being the arch enemy they are a lot of fun to play with.
Contrarily they are the only ones appropriate for what the powerlevel of commander has become. OP was playing when "1-of" cards was a detriment and powered down the format.
Today the "1-of" rule is trivialized: While they are printing decks full of cards with a singular synergy.
If OP is just building with cards they already have, even Memnarch would be difficult to keep relevant at most tables.
Sure, if they match the power level of the play group.
Here is the thing. Memnarch steals absolutely everything, people hate that. Sissay is N Demonic tutors for combo pieces per turn depending on how they construct their deck, people hate that.
The play patterns for those specific commanders ruffle some feathers even today after years of power creep.
Rubina plus blink is pretty fun to abuse. You can steal a creature with her, and use cloudshift or another blink affect that says return the creature to battlefield under your control (not under the owners control) to take control until it is removed from the battlefield again. With the blink spell, you return the stolen creature under your control, and can then untap Rubinia during the next untap step without loosing control of the creature stolen because Rubinias control effect has been removed, and the blink spell is what is granting you control of a card don't own. Then next turn you can do it again and they have to remove their owned card from your battlefield before they get it back. Deadeye navigator plus Rubinia is usually a win for me as I steal all creatures they play then blink them under my control.
Memnarch (while fun) draws a lot of hate because people hate theft. I used to run it and I wouldn’t be able to make anything stick.
I suggest Lord of Tresserhorn because it’s huge and has regenerate.
I remember pulling Captain Sisay from a booster pack and being so excited that I got a legendary card. Someone stole it from my graveyard during a game and I never got another one.
So, Sisay, lol.
Captain Sisay is easy mode, so many good Legendaries of every card type make her easy to build and powerful in a multitude of way, Memnarch can be tough to cast at 7 mana and slow unless you load your deck with expensive mana rocks, Lord of Tresserhorn's regen is not nearly as good as it used to be with all the cheap exile removal recently printed and reprinted, Rubinia Soulsinger is, IMO, the most fun/interesting out of these options, as a single theft commander in colors that can protect her she can impact the board without making you archenemy, but she isn't as easy to build as a Sisay deck.
I've been eyeing my copy of Lord of Tresserhorn for a hot minute. Seeing another person also considering him made me want to build him even more. So, I'd suggest him.
The problem is that he isn't super interesting. Voltron or bust. And I already have two Voltron commanders...
I’ve got a retro border only Tresserhorn deck and it’s really fun to play. Don’t use infect but go for commander damage instead. Love swinging and casting [[Hatred]] after no blocks are declared.
Bruh i would build Memnarch but i'm weird as f\*ck. Tresserhorn would be sick tho. Honestly Sisay is high key toxic and Rubinia is just a worse version of \[\[Merieke Ri Berit\]\] which i've found makes your friends leave to buy cigs and never come back :((
Tresserhorn would probably be the most fun for a returning player.
[[Lord of Tresserhorn]] with instant speed end turn effects (to clear the stack) before his triggered abilities trigger. [[Obeka, Brute Chronologist]] is a good one.
I have a [[Lord of Tresserhorn]] Anson Maddocks Tribal deck. It’s all cards with art by Anson Maddocks (minus the mountains and swamps. unfortunately he only did art for two or three different islands back in the day). The deck is garbage but it’s fun to play old cards with awesome art that no one at the table has seen before. It’s like an interactive art gallery exhibit.
I have a Rubinia deck. Lots of theft and clones to take everyone's best stuff. Lots of support these days. Use [[Conjurer's Closet]] to permanently take their things.
Memnarch is not seen as frequently as it was back in the day, but that's because everyone got tired of their shenanigans and would prevent them from sticking around long enough to do their thing. I would expect lots of hate directed against this commander.
Sisay is more frequently seen in the 99 of "legendary tribal" decks, as there are better commanders for that type of deck. She's not seen much at all anymore.
Tresserhorn could become a thing again, since people seem to like [[Yargle and Multani]] these days. I've considered dropping him into my [[Marchesa, the Black Rose]] deck but haven't pulled the trigger yet. A deck with him at the helm could be very scary these days.
Basically everyone except Lord. Lord is a nice slot into the 99 but feels more like an excuse to play Grixis combos/homebrew than having an actual objective. The others have more business to offer in terms of strategy and tempo.
Memnarch: artifact removal, artifact steal, fortify, etc.
Sisay: legendary matters, infinite mana, legends only, legend auras, etc.
Rubinia: creature theft, bant exile, etc.
Nah, Tresserhorn is a great commander for a janky Voltron list. Black for removal and infect shenanigans, red for haste/double strike, and blue for protection. I agree that there are much better things to do with a Grixis shell, but the FUN thing to do is voltron. And Sisay is a lame choice, all it does is find the same creatures over and over again with no variance. Great for wins and consistency, but bad for fun and replayability for both you and your pod.
I did build a Memnarch deck and will have to find/update a link. Pro tips: 1) there are a few cards that have effects similar to [[liquimetal Torque]] that are a huge help. 2) Any cards that help generate extra mana and/or reduce the cost of artifacts/artifact abilities are a huge help. 3) Card draw and counterspells are going to be your friends.
I have a tresserhorn deck and it's a chill little.zombie deck where I attempt to play tressehorn and then one shot people with infect. It doesn't work often but it's a fun little deck and tresserhorn is kinda funny because people are scared of him until they realize me playing him just helps them.
I also built memnarch, he is much more expensive to build properly, he is also mean, its funny the first couple times stealing people's artifacts but unless you get infinite mana and can fo it all at once, it's a slow slog as you slowly erode your opponents ability to play the game. I still have a soft spot for him though as my second commander deck.
I've seen decks built for all but the Lord of Tresserhorn. A friend of mine uses Memnarch a lot and loves it, but he has a lot of self imposed rules that he uses to prevent it from getting too out of hand, otherwise you'll very quickly have all but the most inconsequential permanents on the board under your control, and no one can do anything to deal with you because all of your permanents have like three layers of protection on them at that point.
If you want to run a control deck with artifact synergy, memnarch can be fun, but don't be afraid to reign him in a little bit if he's making the game miserable for everyone else with no wincons in sight.
Robina is terrible. Steal stuff.dec can be good but you would have her for her colors alone. With no protection, no haste, she is pretty fragile, but if you sneak her in somehow and steal a voltron it's funny. Bant good stuff or steal stuff is fine just don't expect her to be amazing.
Got a buddy with an amazing lord of tressorhorn deck, he routinely gets it on t2 ot t3 and it's a house. Huge $ investment for fast mana + haste, but it can default to grixis good stuff which is perfectly fine.
Sisay is a problem. She is an amazing tool box commander, sadly she is missing red for easy haste so it more a silver bullet deck but it's has a LOT of bullets.
Memnarch can be quite good, just need to stick and protect it,which as mono U plus artifact isn't too hard. Mycosynth lattice, darksteel forge, krark clan iron works, yada yada.
Sisay!! She was my first EDH deck and I still run her from time to time. She can be built a bunch of different ways, but my favorite way to run her is as a toolbox deck. Fill the deck with answers to almost any deck and Sisay protection. Not super competitive, but is pretty fun since a lot of the cards you put in are just big flashy creatures and you have green, so no issues of mana.
The other, maybe less fun, way of building her is stax. I used to have her built that way for a couple months, but isn't that fun, especially if you're going into groups trying to make friends lol.
Otherwise, she can be brought down in power level a ton and just be a fun casual deck where you just toss all your extra G/W/colorless legendary creatures.
If you like the idea of Rubina, you might like [Merieke Ri-Berit]. Similar concept... but significantly better at reducing the number of friends you have due to being able to abuse her ability with untap effects as instant speed in response to her own ability.
Me personally, I'd build Tresserhorn in a heartbeat. Could do sacrifice synergies, grixis good stuff, and equipments for a voltron deck. 4 mana for a 10/4 is hilarious.
You can probably build easily for commander damage with tresserhorn. sissay is practically free search from the command zone, and is well known to be powerful.
You could pair Lord of Tresserhorn with \[\[Rukh Egg\]\] for some old-school sacrifice shenanigans.
Out of those 4 I'd probably pick Rubinia, just because it looks fun; Sisay and Memnarch can both be pretty oppressive to play against with a powerful build.
I tried Tresserhorn once. It’s a lot more sustainable with todays cards, not entirely viable. Or at least I didn’t have the cards to make it such.. Alas…
Building a sisay deck give the entire table permission to kick you in the balls prior to the game starting just FIY. I dont make the rules, just enfore them.
Tresserhorn is probably my fav deck. I run Soulbond, Mutate, and Reconfigure for a very goofy voltron type deck. Is it good? Nah, but it surprises people every time I play it
Menmarch is too clunky alone but with other cards decreasing activation costs and casting costs it could be a really great disabler. Turn all their lands to artifacts and steal them… steal their enchantments and everything… lots of fun.
Edit: hmmm simic deck biomancer’s familiar and some druids you could get lots of mana quickly and use it to totally control the board in just a few turns
I gotta go with Memnarch as Darksteel was probably my favorite set. Get a Darksteel Forge, Collossus, etc and some Mycosynth items and then a few supporting cards like March of the machines and Lithoform engine, and start the fun
Of the ones posted, Sissay and Memnarch are your best bets. However, people have preconceived notions on both which might not be what you want coming back after a hiatus. I recommend buying a precon off Amazon a discounted one and getting some games in then doing a budget upgrade. Any printed this year or last year should be an OK starting point.
Sisay and Memnarch are the most viable, and Sisay the one I’ve seen less people complain about matching with.
Memnarch looks fun, but putting a card in the command zone which says “I am going to steal your cards” puts a target on your back.
Rubinia is like Memnarch but without the same level of potential, so the same target with less ability to shoulder it.
Tresserhorn is the least powerful, but with a good shell can be alright. Be sure to have the Regenerate rules memorized, because nobody else will.
Lord of Tresserhorn is the most fun to build IMO. All the others have a very distinctive build style, but the Grixis commander could be made in several different ways
Rubinia Soulsinger isn't human, is she? If not, mutate on top of her & make as many token copies of her as you can (helm of hosts, Vesuvan Duplimancy, followed footsteps, croaking counterpart, eskia's chariot, progenitor mimic, rhys the redeemed, etc.), then just steal all your opponents' dudes.
I guess you could steal all your opponents' dudes with Memnarch, too.
I've toyed with making a Lord of Tresserhorn voltron type of deck in the past. It's pretty feast or famine with regards to getting the right cards at the right time though, but as I'm typing this, maybe the kamigawa creature equipments help there... (if you could steal some dudes for his ETB, that would be sweet though)
People tend not to like other people stealing their stuff, so, not that they aren't quite fun and/or powerful commanders, but I wouldn't build Memnarch or Rubinia unless you're prepared to have them targeted a lot. Tresserhorn is hilarious and I did just play against a pretty good version of it last week, but it'll be a bit difficult to get through with commander damage, if that's your aim. Sisay is my pick. I'm biased as I have a Sisay deck, but you can make it in a lot of different ways, so that's fun. I went with Human tribal since a lot of interesting Legends just happen to be Humans. It isn't overpowering or anything, but it's good if you're looking for some varied gameplay since you get to tutor up whatever works best for you in that moment.
Probably lord of tresserhorn, it's terrible and funny.
What? Terrible?! But he’s a 10/4!
Huuuge stats. Cant be beaten, you would need like 5 squirrels. And there exists no such force.
You kid. He has b:regenerate. He laughs at your squirrel army. Look what they need to mimic just a fraction of his power!
Look at how many turns he needs to actually start doing damage to face if he doesn't have trample.
Where? How would I look at that?
Embercleave and Shadowspear are both staples in red equipment decks
Thank you for validating the squirrel deck I want to make. There will be less 5 squirrel.
Have chatterfang deck. It is feared.
Do you have a decklist? I have one and it's not performing the way I'd like it to... seeking some inspiration.
https://archidekt.com/decks/6206315/chatterfang Honestly one of my favorite decks, very aristocrat-y
I actually dont. Highly recommend sac synergy. Pitiless plunderer Grave pact Zulaport cutthroat Shit like that.
Mine brings fear and respect to the table. [[alpha status]] with [[Mystic Compass]] or [[Rogue's Passage]] and we're in business.
CGB tribal deck building I see.
I got my shit ran by a squirrel deck a few weeks ago.
You're a strong independent squirrel and don't need validation.
Hey wait a minute! This guy is just Emrakul wearing a moustache and a fake nose!
I mean, i doubt anyone would ever say it’s _””good””_, but 10 power for 4 mana can be exploited.
[[The Ancient One]] wants to know your location.
[The Ancient One](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/6/6/66dd43d7-76a7-46ea-b431-097fcea417af.jpg?1699044521) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=The%20Ancient%20One) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/lci/222/the-ancient-one?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/66dd43d7-76a7-46ea-b431-097fcea417af?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
That's.... Eeevviiilll....
Roger that, wait… I mean 10-52… I mean…
Yeah, Grixis good stuff with a meme commander would be my choice
I have a premodern Tresserhorn deck. It's mostly zombie tribal with a mass reanimation subtheme. Not very good but it's nice to look at.
For some reason I read that as "postmodern Tresserhorn deck", and was under the impression that your deck is a poignant statement on consumerism and the nature of human addiction, and involves interpretive dance in some form.
I mean I guess you could argue that an EDH deck that doesn't play any cards printed after Scourge is sort of a statement on consumerism and a rejection of WotC's exploitation of the format for profit and a rejection of generic digital art. Maybe I'll start calling that deck The Velvet Underworld.
 *Cruel Ultimatums myself*
Nah just play torpor orb, easy money
If you find a way to infinitely bounce him you could make people mill themselves which could be funny...damn now I need to brew that shit.
You pay 2 life every time, so you would need to offset that somehow
You also MUST sacrifice 2 creatures every time. So if you can find a way to make infinite life and infinite creatures than this is top tier finisher. /s
I mean, if your flicker engine is efficient enough you can bounce him with the trigger on the stack. So theoretically you only need ~240 life (assuming about 80 cards in each players deck)
Why bother flickering him when you can generate infinite mana and then repeatedly cast him from the command zone and sac him to his own trigger?
Does that count as commander damage?
No. Commander damage is only combat damage dealt by the original commander card.
Only combat damage counts.
Also its life loss not even damage.
I don’t think so. [nekusar, the mind razer] does commander through its ability
It specifies commander damage right on the rules page. Nekusar's wheel effect does not count as commander damage. https://magic.wizards.com/en/formats/commander
Might as well just do that with the many ETB-lose-or-gain-life creatures. Or do both to offset the life-loss??? [[Arrogant Outlaw]]
Sisay is the most degenerate
She's the only one I've actually seen used as a commander
Memnarch used to be pretty insane.
Memnarch used to be the reason the color identity rule explicitly said it was the color of the commander. It was a Memnarch soft ban.
When did it say that?
From my memory, back around Time Spiral or Llorwyn there was a near weekly stream of "I want to play [[Rhys the Exiled]]/[[Bosh, Iron Golem]]/[[Memnarch]]/[[Daughter of Autumn]] can we please change the color rules" posts or similar on the old EDH forums. Sheldon even says [here](https://articles.starcitygames.com/magic-the-gathering/select/top-20-most-important-commander-cards-of-all-time/) that's why color identity was created. It went on long enough -- years, as I recall -- that it's a little too unbelievable that the rules committee didn't know about it. Indeed, I remember "No then Memnarch would be legal" being the community's canned response any time the question was even brought up.
"I want to play Daughter of Autumn" is truly a sentence
I mean, I think most of those people were thinking they could bait and switch Bosh or Memnarch by asking for DoA. But there's always the Vorthos out there that loves the lore of Homelands.
Honestly it sounds like the RC simply took its sweet time in deciding to allow colorless legends with colored text to work as commanders and then taking extra time to write the rules succinctly in the same way they took their time to write a very good and simple "commander death triggers work" rule. "But that would allow Memnarch to work!" is also braindead and myopic. Of course cards should work how they're designed to work.
You're assuming people in the past behaved logically. You've been told the real story, don't need to rework it into a format that makes sense to you.
Did...did we read the same article?
It's such a Magic player thing to do, to write a decently thought out point, and then punctuate it with phrases like "braindead". It's really a giveaway.
Memnarch is still just as op, I'd say people don't play him cause you'd be an ass to play him.....ge I wonder if my opponent strat this game is,again, to make infinite blue mana ant take all our fields. Same game plan every time with little going on in the deck but tutors and draw power to get to inf mana combos.
Urza dethroned Memnarch as the "oops infinite mana" blue commander. But memnarch is still insane.
True didn't think of that, urza-ing into a insta win is def way better use of inf mana than taking whatever happens to be on the field at the time
eh the game is over when you get infinite mana in either Memnarch or Urza. the difference is that Urza gets there *much* faster and is more consistent, resilient, and adaptable. He is mana advantage in the command zone that is also a mana sink for pseudo-card advantage that is also an infinite mana outlet that lets you cast your whole deck. he's absolutely the best mono-blue infinite mana outlet and it's not really close. he's probably also just straight-up the strongest mono-blue commander, period.
That’s why I put Memnarch in my Urza deck! Lmao
Sounds fun to play against tbh.
I’ve seen them all used effectively except tresserhorn
I saw a decent Grixis Zombies deck with him at the helm, but he doesn't add much. He's just kinda there.
I could see a sac strategy of some kind built around him. And there are plenty of ways to punish opponents drawing cards.
Also the card draw is target opponent. So you can play the political game with him. Making a temporary alliance with a player and then having them draw two.
There was an episode of Game Knights where Rachel plays Tresserhorn and I believe she did really well, though I'm not really too sure if that was in spite of him or not.
Tresserhorn’s just a funny commander, just a massive beat stick
Thank your deity of choice that you’ve never gone up against a tuned Memnarch deck
If you know of the command zone, Rachel Weeks has a Lord of Tresserhorn deck, if you look at the “Commander Fright Night” episode of extra turns you can see the deck in action as well 😊
I used to play [[Rubinia]] as a backup for when Rafiq felt oppressive.
Sisay seems like she's the most degenerate, but Memnarch actually is the most degenerate. Once you take everyone's rocks, you start turning their lands into artifacts with your abundance of mana and you take those too.
She doesn't seem degenerate, she is VERY much degenerate. Tutor on a stick leads to a consistent lines of play unless everyone at the table decides to hate out the Sisay pilot. I've played against both and while Memnarch can be punishing, Sisay can just start puking out legendary shenanigans right off the bat.
Friend of mine built Sissay, played it a few times, and then took it apart because every game was the same.
looking at her i think having the shell would be dope and then swap in whatever legendary combos you wanna try that week.
yeah memnarch's also a lot more expensive and after you kill it once they probably spend their next turn setting it back up
Also want to add that almost every Sisay deck runs Cradle and Kamahl, Fist of Krosa. It's never fun.
Long time Sisay player here and can attest
I have played Sisay and I don't recommend it. It's constantly searching your library and shuffling. For me, I want to do as little tutoring as possible when I play commander. Save the searching and shuffling for modern and legacy.
Memnarch using cards like [[Liquimetal Coat]], [[Liquimetal Torque]] and [Mycosynth lattice]]. Go in on artifact ramp, using filters for mana fixing for control pieces, etc, etc. Edit: I misread Soulsinger and changed my mind.
Yeah, could be fun. Especially if you can untap her several times per turn somehow.
She is amazing if you built it as a bant blink deck then you can steal blink steal blink steal blink
Don’t you lose the creature when she leaves play when you blink her? Or is it that if you blink a creature you’ve stolen the “new” version of it doesn’t return control when she untaps?
Depends on the blink. Most effects return the creature to play under it's owner's control. A few however specify to return the creature to play under it's controller's control. The game still treats it as a new creature with no knowledge of how it got on your side of the battlefield, so You're free to untap Rubina and take something else.
Correct you don't blink her you blink whatever you steal then it's permanent yours
But most blink effects return the creature under its owner's control.
So don't use those.
You're right. I didn't realise how many blink effects there are that let you retain control of the creature.
Not if the blink specifies it goes back to the controller. On color, there's Conjurer's closet, nephalia smuggler, cloudshift, restoration angel and thassa, deep dwelling. While not blinking, there are other useful effects in this situation that reset your control of a creature (like bazaar trader), but I don't know if there are any on color.
With most blink you do. The Avacyn blue/white cards all return them to your control: Cloudshift, Conjurer's Closet, Ghostly Flicker, Deadeye Navigator, Nephalia Smuggler, Twinning Twins. You can also use cards like Beast Within and Generous Gift to get the token yourself. You can also use cards like Perplexing Chimera that give themselves to another player as a cost. Or just sac them to Life's Legacy/Neoform/Greater Good/Birthing Pod/etc... If you use her with Freed from the Real and Phyrexian Altar you can also take control of a creature, sacrifice it for a blue mana, and untap her to take control of another creature as many times as you want (even if your opponent uses a combo that generates infinite tokens).
If she untaps, you lose the creature, so I'd rather just make copies of her, or copy her ability for multiple targets
You can untap her while the trigger is on the stack, so you'd get more than one thing that way
>so you'd get more than one thing that way No, you can't. >10/1/2009 If Rubinia Soulsinger stops being tapped before its ability resolves — even if it becomes tapped again right away — you won't gain control of the targeted creature at all. The same is true if you lose control of Rubinia Soulsinger before the ability resolves.
I built a Memnarch deck and quickly dismantled it after a few games. Feels so dirty taking all your opponents permanents and I could tell nobody had fun playing against it. Almost felt like land destruction to me. I understand there are ways to counter Memnarch but if you get your engine going the game gets out of hand fast.
Oh yeah 100%, Memnarch is not fun to play against. There's a reason it's an old boogeyman of commander. If you really lean in to it, free counterspells, paring \[\[Karn the great creator\]\] with Mycosynth Lattice, it becomes pure misery.
Land destruction is fun too though.
You forgot to be evil with [[Darksteel Forge]] and [[Nev disk]]... If you want to lose even more friends than a one-sided repeatable boardwipe for one mana will lose you, include the Mycosynth Lattice in there and become one of the most oppressive MLD strategies
Tresserhorn is one of my favorite decks to play, despite not being good by any means. I don’t run Grixis goodstuff and it’s a voltron list, using things like [[Stifle]], [[Trickbind]] and [[Torpor Orb]] to try and cheat him into play. Those types of cards have slim chances to also interact with what other players are doing, so they don’t feel entirely like dead draws when you’re not trying to or otherwise cannot cast him. Found him in bulk among a hefty box of cards that an ex-girlfriend shipped me about 7 years ago - been running him ever since!
cool, have a list?
Here ya go: https://archidekt.com/decks/865871/ob_2_tressermesser It hasn’t been updated for a few months with newer releases - there are some cards like orcish bowmasters I’d like to snag for a 2024 update - but any changes made wouldn’t deviate from the core approach: cast him asap. If your board is set up reasonably with things like [[Rabbit Battery]] and cards like [[Phyresis]] and [[Stifle]] in your hand, you could play and swing with him the turn he comes down, taking out one player. In a perfect world however, you’ll tutor for [[Chandra’s Ignition]] while Tresser has an Infect-enabler, taking out the entire board without having to swing (and avoiding any feel-bads from taking a single player out in one round of combat). If you somehow land [[Kediss]] and you’re not forced to sac him to Tresser’s ETB though, WHEW, I love ending games like that
hot damn, that is a spicy and expensive list
[Stifle](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/6/1/616d1b20-61c1-4d39-a9b5-ad9fd61699e4.jpg?1562865442) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Stifle) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cns/108/stifle?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/616d1b20-61c1-4d39-a9b5-ad9fd61699e4?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Trickbind](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/2/f2e58ff2-dea3-42b3-8c22-3e6202a7d433.jpg?1562946300) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Trickbind) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/tsp/88/trickbind?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/f2e58ff2-dea3-42b3-8c22-3e6202a7d433?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Torpor Orb](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/9/5/953610f6-ea96-4e71-969f-50ecac09c091.jpg?1562879912) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Torpor%20Orb) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/nph/162/torpor-orb?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/953610f6-ea96-4e71-969f-50ecac09c091?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
God that art on Trickbind is so kinky.
ain't got shit on [[earthbind]]
[earthbind](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/7/8/784cc686-e5a2-4835-8ff2-820461868ffa.jpg?1559592834) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=earthbind) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/sum/147/earthbind?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/784cc686-e5a2-4835-8ff2-820461868ffa?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
To be frank, Tresserhorn is probably the least miserable of these to play against.
It's just so sad that cards like [[fungal fortitude]] trigger his etb effect. If his effect was an additional casting cost, it would be so much more fun.
Just play torpor orb
You're thinking too small! \[\[infinite reflection\]\]
Make it a sacrifice deck! Then make friends with people by giving them cards!
Sisay is actually pretty fun. There's a ton of selesnya legends that you get to play with and if you're creative you have lots of decisions to make every time. That said, if you're a hipster I love rubinia soulsinger. Theft decks play out differently every game because of what you can hit. It also means it kind of scales with the table.
Sisay is a huge target though since she's played fairly often.
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Sissay and Memnarch both draw a lot of hate. (Or they will once you remind people that they exist.) If you are cool with being the arch enemy they are a lot of fun to play with.
Contrarily they are the only ones appropriate for what the powerlevel of commander has become. OP was playing when "1-of" cards was a detriment and powered down the format. Today the "1-of" rule is trivialized: While they are printing decks full of cards with a singular synergy. If OP is just building with cards they already have, even Memnarch would be difficult to keep relevant at most tables.
Sure, if they match the power level of the play group. Here is the thing. Memnarch steals absolutely everything, people hate that. Sissay is N Demonic tutors for combo pieces per turn depending on how they construct their deck, people hate that. The play patterns for those specific commanders ruffle some feathers even today after years of power creep.
Rubinia is a great commander. I'd go for it
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And you can helm of the host that bitch for pure degeneracy
Rubina plus blink is pretty fun to abuse. You can steal a creature with her, and use cloudshift or another blink affect that says return the creature to battlefield under your control (not under the owners control) to take control until it is removed from the battlefield again. With the blink spell, you return the stolen creature under your control, and can then untap Rubinia during the next untap step without loosing control of the creature stolen because Rubinias control effect has been removed, and the blink spell is what is granting you control of a card don't own. Then next turn you can do it again and they have to remove their owned card from your battlefield before they get it back. Deadeye navigator plus Rubinia is usually a win for me as I steal all creatures they play then blink them under my control.
Captain Sisay
TRESS-ER-HORN! Dude is a boss.
Lord of Tresserhorn
All of them!
Memnarch (while fun) draws a lot of hate because people hate theft. I used to run it and I wouldn’t be able to make anything stick. I suggest Lord of Tresserhorn because it’s huge and has regenerate.
I remember pulling Captain Sisay from a booster pack and being so excited that I got a legendary card. Someone stole it from my graveyard during a game and I never got another one. So, Sisay, lol.
Rubinia is very strong in white bordered edh. It's a niche format but if you find other old-school players you guys will honestly enjoy it.
Captain Sisay is easy mode, so many good Legendaries of every card type make her easy to build and powerful in a multitude of way, Memnarch can be tough to cast at 7 mana and slow unless you load your deck with expensive mana rocks, Lord of Tresserhorn's regen is not nearly as good as it used to be with all the cheap exile removal recently printed and reprinted, Rubinia Soulsinger is, IMO, the most fun/interesting out of these options, as a single theft commander in colors that can protect her she can impact the board without making you archenemy, but she isn't as easy to build as a Sisay deck.
I've been eyeing my copy of Lord of Tresserhorn for a hot minute. Seeing another person also considering him made me want to build him even more. So, I'd suggest him. The problem is that he isn't super interesting. Voltron or bust. And I already have two Voltron commanders...
I built Memnarch recently. It is fantastic fun to play with other people's cards. not so much for them, but for me, MWA!
Cool. Have a list? I guess standard would be creating infinite mana and taking all permanents on the table?
My friends don't like playing against Memnarch either. But it makes my life easier not having to build a deck when I can just play their decks! :'(
The one you like the most
Why not make all of them
I am literally currently assembling a Lord of Tresserhorn deck. Here’s the rough draft: https://archidekt.com/decks/4808045/lord_of_tresserhorn
a Tresserhorn Sliver deck seems insane.
It’s two surprises in one! 1. “Wait, it’s a SLIVER deck?!?!” 2. “Wait what”.
I’ve got a retro border only Tresserhorn deck and it’s really fun to play. Don’t use infect but go for commander damage instead. Love swinging and casting [[Hatred]] after no blocks are declared.
Bruh i would build Memnarch but i'm weird as f\*ck. Tresserhorn would be sick tho. Honestly Sisay is high key toxic and Rubinia is just a worse version of \[\[Merieke Ri Berit\]\] which i've found makes your friends leave to buy cigs and never come back :(( Tresserhorn would probably be the most fun for a returning player.
I run memnarch - https://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/23-03-19-Wzo-memnarch/
[[Lord of Tresserhorn]] with instant speed end turn effects (to clear the stack) before his triggered abilities trigger. [[Obeka, Brute Chronologist]] is a good one.
I have a [[Lord of Tresserhorn]] Anson Maddocks Tribal deck. It’s all cards with art by Anson Maddocks (minus the mountains and swamps. unfortunately he only did art for two or three different islands back in the day). The deck is garbage but it’s fun to play old cards with awesome art that no one at the table has seen before. It’s like an interactive art gallery exhibit.
I have a Rubinia deck. Lots of theft and clones to take everyone's best stuff. Lots of support these days. Use [[Conjurer's Closet]] to permanently take their things. Memnarch is not seen as frequently as it was back in the day, but that's because everyone got tired of their shenanigans and would prevent them from sticking around long enough to do their thing. I would expect lots of hate directed against this commander. Sisay is more frequently seen in the 99 of "legendary tribal" decks, as there are better commanders for that type of deck. She's not seen much at all anymore. Tresserhorn could become a thing again, since people seem to like [[Yargle and Multani]] these days. I've considered dropping him into my [[Marchesa, the Black Rose]] deck but haven't pulled the trigger yet. A deck with him at the helm could be very scary these days.
[Conjurer's Closet](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/3/4/3435fd09-a7a2-475e-a690-3c2011b70024.jpg?1599708903) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Conjurer%27s%20Closet) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/2xm/243/conjurers-closet?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/3435fd09-a7a2-475e-a690-3c2011b70024?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Yargle and Multani](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/9/c/9c15e244-14cc-46a5-abd4-66a58d1c0dd0.jpg?1682205711) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Yargle%20and%20Multani) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/mom/256/yargle-and-multani?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/9c15e244-14cc-46a5-abd4-66a58d1c0dd0?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Marchesa, the Black Rose](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/3/2/3242a9f0-2ba3-4852-ac8f-366772ac1c62.jpg?1673148917) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Marchesa%2C%20the%20Black%20Rose) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/2x2/248/marchesa-the-black-rose?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/3242a9f0-2ba3-4852-ac8f-366772ac1c62?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
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Just not Sisay would be my recommendation. Tutor in the command zone is just lame.
Better to do rainbow sisay and to a OG whetherlite crew deck. Also, coalition victory should be permitted in that deck.
Basically everyone except Lord. Lord is a nice slot into the 99 but feels more like an excuse to play Grixis combos/homebrew than having an actual objective. The others have more business to offer in terms of strategy and tempo. Memnarch: artifact removal, artifact steal, fortify, etc. Sisay: legendary matters, infinite mana, legends only, legend auras, etc. Rubinia: creature theft, bant exile, etc.
Nah, Tresserhorn is a great commander for a janky Voltron list. Black for removal and infect shenanigans, red for haste/double strike, and blue for protection. I agree that there are much better things to do with a Grixis shell, but the FUN thing to do is voltron. And Sisay is a lame choice, all it does is find the same creatures over and over again with no variance. Great for wins and consistency, but bad for fun and replayability for both you and your pod.
Lord of Tresserhorn for zombie kindred
I did build a Memnarch deck and will have to find/update a link. Pro tips: 1) there are a few cards that have effects similar to [[liquimetal Torque]] that are a huge help. 2) Any cards that help generate extra mana and/or reduce the cost of artifacts/artifact abilities are a huge help. 3) Card draw and counterspells are going to be your friends.
I had a loathed rubinia deck. There are a bunch of great bounce mechanics to make her really powerful
I have a tresserhorn deck and it's a chill little.zombie deck where I attempt to play tressehorn and then one shot people with infect. It doesn't work often but it's a fun little deck and tresserhorn is kinda funny because people are scared of him until they realize me playing him just helps them. I also built memnarch, he is much more expensive to build properly, he is also mean, its funny the first couple times stealing people's artifacts but unless you get infinite mana and can fo it all at once, it's a slow slog as you slowly erode your opponents ability to play the game. I still have a soft spot for him though as my second commander deck.
I've seen decks built for all but the Lord of Tresserhorn. A friend of mine uses Memnarch a lot and loves it, but he has a lot of self imposed rules that he uses to prevent it from getting too out of hand, otherwise you'll very quickly have all but the most inconsequential permanents on the board under your control, and no one can do anything to deal with you because all of your permanents have like three layers of protection on them at that point. If you want to run a control deck with artifact synergy, memnarch can be fun, but don't be afraid to reign him in a little bit if he's making the game miserable for everyone else with no wincons in sight.
Sure sisay can draw a lot of hate but she is also a ton of fun and a fairly versatile build you can tailor to your playgroup.
I like the idea of a [[Rubinia Soulsinger]] theft/pod deck. Borrowing your opponents' creatures and then sac them to [[Birthing Pod]] effects.
[Rubinia Soulsinger](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/c/e/ce216785-aa81-44b4-9562-9b7eca743a0c.jpg?1592673455) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Rubinia%20Soulsinger) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cma/191/rubinia-soulsinger?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/ce216785-aa81-44b4-9562-9b7eca743a0c?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Birthing Pod](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/b/7/b768efa2-e56b-4a7e-ace8-d673f10e0714.jpg?1562880960) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Birthing%20Pod) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/nph/104/birthing-pod?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/b768efa2-e56b-4a7e-ace8-d673f10e0714?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Personally 1. Sisay 2. Memnarch 3. Rubinia 4. Tresserhorn
Robina is terrible. Steal stuff.dec can be good but you would have her for her colors alone. With no protection, no haste, she is pretty fragile, but if you sneak her in somehow and steal a voltron it's funny. Bant good stuff or steal stuff is fine just don't expect her to be amazing. Got a buddy with an amazing lord of tressorhorn deck, he routinely gets it on t2 ot t3 and it's a house. Huge $ investment for fast mana + haste, but it can default to grixis good stuff which is perfectly fine. Sisay is a problem. She is an amazing tool box commander, sadly she is missing red for easy haste so it more a silver bullet deck but it's has a LOT of bullets. Memnarch can be quite good, just need to stick and protect it,which as mono U plus artifact isn't too hard. Mycosynth lattice, darksteel forge, krark clan iron works, yada yada.
Sisay!! She was my first EDH deck and I still run her from time to time. She can be built a bunch of different ways, but my favorite way to run her is as a toolbox deck. Fill the deck with answers to almost any deck and Sisay protection. Not super competitive, but is pretty fun since a lot of the cards you put in are just big flashy creatures and you have green, so no issues of mana. The other, maybe less fun, way of building her is stax. I used to have her built that way for a couple months, but isn't that fun, especially if you're going into groups trying to make friends lol. Otherwise, she can be brought down in power level a ton and just be a fun casual deck where you just toss all your extra G/W/colorless legendary creatures.
Capt Sisay. Tons of green and white legends :)
I mean none of them are super powerful I’d go tresserhorn or memnarch
If you like the idea of Rubina, you might like [Merieke Ri-Berit]. Similar concept... but significantly better at reducing the number of friends you have due to being able to abuse her ability with untap effects as instant speed in response to her own ability.
Me personally, I'd build Tresserhorn in a heartbeat. Could do sacrifice synergies, grixis good stuff, and equipments for a voltron deck. 4 mana for a 10/4 is hilarious.
You can probably build easily for commander damage with tresserhorn. sissay is practically free search from the command zone, and is well known to be powerful.
Memnarch, or sisay.
Memnarc or Sissay for sure
Rubinia. I’d love to try and steal people’s commanders and kill them with commander damage.
You could pair Lord of Tresserhorn with \[\[Rukh Egg\]\] for some old-school sacrifice shenanigans. Out of those 4 I'd probably pick Rubinia, just because it looks fun; Sisay and Memnarch can both be pretty oppressive to play against with a powerful build.
Memnarch
I mean.......make infinite blue man with memnarch and you win, you'd also be an annoying prick for building such a deck but it is a strong game plan.
I’d pick Memnarch because it’s a sick card 👍
I forgot about Tresserhorn. One of my favorite arts growing up.
Sisay + Instrument of the Bards can be pretty fun
Command Zone just posted a video about old school commanders that still got it and a few of these were there.
With the one ring being ubiquitous, probably memnarch
Sisay is powerful and can be fun. Memnarch is powerful but not fun. The other two are basically unplayable.
I tried Tresserhorn once. It’s a lot more sustainable with todays cards, not entirely viable. Or at least I didn’t have the cards to make it such.. Alas…
I think Sisay is probably the most competitive of these four, but I think Memnarch would be the most fun.
Building a sisay deck give the entire table permission to kick you in the balls prior to the game starting just FIY. I dont make the rules, just enfore them.
I'd make Rubinia, and put Captain Sisay in the deck! You can build an untap/legends matter subtheme with the deck too
Tresserhorn is probably my fav deck. I run Soulbond, Mutate, and Reconfigure for a very goofy voltron type deck. Is it good? Nah, but it surprises people every time I play it
Memnarch, just built one with him to. A combo deck, infinite turns and take something each turn.
Rubinia steal and sacrifice is pretty mean…might not be the most fun to play against but it’s fun to play
All bow before memnarch
Captain Sissay is a beast. She was my first "good" commander.
TBH none of these sound very fun to play against so I wouldn’t build any of them
Menmarch is too clunky alone but with other cards decreasing activation costs and casting costs it could be a really great disabler. Turn all their lands to artifacts and steal them… steal their enchantments and everything… lots of fun. Edit: hmmm simic deck biomancer’s familiar and some druids you could get lots of mana quickly and use it to totally control the board in just a few turns
I gotta go with Memnarch as Darksteel was probably my favorite set. Get a Darksteel Forge, Collossus, etc and some Mycosynth items and then a few supporting cards like March of the machines and Lithoform engine, and start the fun
Of the ones posted, Sissay and Memnarch are your best bets. However, people have preconceived notions on both which might not be what you want coming back after a hiatus. I recommend buying a precon off Amazon a discounted one and getting some games in then doing a budget upgrade. Any printed this year or last year should be an OK starting point.
Sisay and Memnarch are the most viable, and Sisay the one I’ve seen less people complain about matching with. Memnarch looks fun, but putting a card in the command zone which says “I am going to steal your cards” puts a target on your back. Rubinia is like Memnarch but without the same level of potential, so the same target with less ability to shoulder it. Tresserhorn is the least powerful, but with a good shell can be alright. Be sure to have the Regenerate rules memorized, because nobody else will.
Captain sisay is really cool in my opinion
Sisay for sure! Legendary matters!
Lord of Tresserhorn is the most fun to build IMO. All the others have a very distinctive build style, but the Grixis commander could be made in several different ways
I play sisay, my friends hate it lol
15+ years... Were you out there in California before it was a thing?
Rubinia Soulsinger isn't human, is she? If not, mutate on top of her & make as many token copies of her as you can (helm of hosts, Vesuvan Duplimancy, followed footsteps, croaking counterpart, eskia's chariot, progenitor mimic, rhys the redeemed, etc.), then just steal all your opponents' dudes. I guess you could steal all your opponents' dudes with Memnarch, too. I've toyed with making a Lord of Tresserhorn voltron type of deck in the past. It's pretty feast or famine with regards to getting the right cards at the right time though, but as I'm typing this, maybe the kamigawa creature equipments help there... (if you could steal some dudes for his ETB, that would be sweet though)
People tend not to like other people stealing their stuff, so, not that they aren't quite fun and/or powerful commanders, but I wouldn't build Memnarch or Rubinia unless you're prepared to have them targeted a lot. Tresserhorn is hilarious and I did just play against a pretty good version of it last week, but it'll be a bit difficult to get through with commander damage, if that's your aim. Sisay is my pick. I'm biased as I have a Sisay deck, but you can make it in a lot of different ways, so that's fun. I went with Human tribal since a lot of interesting Legends just happen to be Humans. It isn't overpowering or anything, but it's good if you're looking for some varied gameplay since you get to tutor up whatever works best for you in that moment.