It’s obvious I think that my next Commander brew is not going to be the infect/wither one that was hinted at in a previous post. The lure of big green stompy things was too compelling.

But as I was going through my disorganised filing system (I really must get better organised) looking for cards that would be good or cool in the new deck I came across one or two other cards in other colours that I thought I must build a deck with them in.

Particularly those cards seemed to belong to a single colour and have a common theme. The colour is blue, and they all seemed to be big monsters. With the likes of Fleet Swallower, Stormtide Leviathan, Slinn Voda, the Rising Deep and the Rivals of Ixalan…

Elder Dinosaur Nezahal, Primal Tide. These are all cards that are hard to play in other formats, not impossible. Let’s face it unless you have some way to cheat them out earlier, usually by turn 7 or 8 the game can be pretty much over.

But that’s the beauty of Commander. Big creatures that are fun to play, in this casual format are playable (unless you are playing competitive Commander, but where is the fun in that?)

I’ve played Thing in the Ice before, it’s such a fun card (unless you are on the receiving end of it). It comes in all innocent then four instant or sorcery spells later, BAM! It’s transformed into Awoken Horror a 7/8 Kraken Horror that clears the board for it to swing in unopposed. Nice thing is Arcane Adaption allows me to make all my creatures Horrors if this happens late game. Early on I may not even bother, and use Arcane Adaption to make everything of mine a Kraken.

At the moment this “from the depths” (seems a cool name to give this future deck) is looking like a mono blue deck. Which I’m not opposed to. But I’m not sure who to have as the commander. I suppose I could have one of the legendary creatures from above. But do I want a commander that is expensive? I’ll have to research potential commanders that fit in with this big stompy plan. It may open up more cards that fit in with the plan.

I’m not sure what ramp cards I have access to in blue, if any. It may have to rely on the staples like soul ring to get there quicker. Naturally being blue I have access to the full control suite to help keep me alive, interrupt the plans of others, bounce creatures back to the owners hands etc etc.

Plus the above cards may be giving you a certain image of me. I like playing big stompy creatures. The current brew is mono green big stompy creatures. I have dinosaurs and dragons as other decks that have big stompy creatures. I don’t know why, but there is something satisfying swinging in with a big creature and doing lots of damage. I think the only thing that tops it is killing said big creature with a 1/1 deathtouch creature.

So that’s my initial thoughts on a future big blue stompy deck. Or cards that I want to build the deck around. Oh wait I’ve just thought when I play this deck once built, I can say “I’m about to slap you with a big wet fish” as I swing in.