Commander is Magic: the Gathering’s most popular format today, and with access to virtually all cards in the game’s 30+ year history, you can either make a deck really expensive (and uber powerful), or actually spend very little and still make a highly competent and synergized deck. With a new power bracket system (beta) introduced by Wizards of the Coast, our goal is to keep our decks within tiers 2 (Core) and 3 (Upgraded) to make it more accessible to the majority of players.

In this edition we’re featuring one of the two new Commanders from Aetherdrift’s Commander preconstructed decks – Temmet, Naktamun’s Will! Temmet is a formidable 4/4 Commander that has Vigilance and Menace, making it an effective attacker and blocker. When he does best is to buff all your Zombies whenever you draw a card. With Temmet, you go wide and you go big.

Colors: white, blue, black | Cost: $246 (Cardkingdom) | Power Bracket: 2 | Full Deck List

Why Temmet, Naktamun’s Will as a Zombie Commander?

If we’re being realistic, many preconstructed face Commanders are not the optimized. Temmet, Naktamun’s Will breaks their pattern with a strong, but not overpowered, ability that works amazingly well in a Zombie deck. Historically, many have proclaimed The Scarab God as the ultimate Zombie-themed Commander. Instead of reanimating creatures to take advantage of their abilities, Temmet goes the traditional route of combat, buffing 2/2 Zombies by +1/+1 for every card you draw. It is not as sneaky as The Scarab God, but it can be a lot more fun. Interestingly, you can find Scarab God in this precon deck and if you’d like, can swap it in as your general.

The Winning Game Plan

With 37 creatures (most of them Zombies) in this deck, the tribal theme has to be strong here. Start the game strong by casting cheap Zombies and spread the damage. Aristocratic-styled Zombies like Corpse Knight and Wayward Servant help you drain the opponent’s life as you cast, and replenish, your board of Zombies.

While you could sit back and sacrifice Zombies and reanimate them all day long while sucking the life out of opponents, where’s the fun in that? Use Temmet, Naktamun’s Will to buff all your Zombies. Even on the turn that he is cast, you’re guaranteed a +1/+1 buff since you will draw a card on attack. On subsequent turns, it becomes a +2/+2 buff because of card you normally draw in your draw phase. Once you combine that with other spells that draw – Champion of Wits or Prophet of the Scarab – the little Zombies won’t be so little anymore and can catch any opponent by surprise.

What if the opponent’s got a similarly impressive army that is holding yours back (made worse because Zombies don’t have Trample)? Here’s where you have to call on some of the bigger ghouls. Archfiend of Ifnir may not be a Zombie but planting -1/-1 counters on all your enemy creatures is nothing to laugh about. The same goes for Noxious Ghoul, though its effect is only till the end of of turn and you’ll have to string together multiple entering Zombies.

Go wide and go big, and there’s not much anyone can do to stop Temmet’s undead horde.

Alternative Winning Game Plan

Unfortunately, board wipes do exist in Magic, and this deck is not immune to it. While there are counter spells in the form of Arcane Denial and An Offer You Can’t Refuse, this deck isn’t a control one and the odds of drawing them are slimmer than usual. White has a nice assortment of cards that give you creatures Indestructible so that’s always a substitution option for you.

But, assuming you’ve lost Temmet and the bulk of your Zombies, it’s time to find an alternative plan. Your best bet is to take advantage of your Graveyard, which by now is stocked with creatures. There’s Living Death and the earlier-mentioned The Scarab God to turn the tables. God-Eternal Oketra is also very resilient. It might take a while to recast it, but the ability to generate 4/4 tokens so easily cannot be overlooked.

Leverage Zul Ashur, Lich Lord to recast Zombies like The Midnight Reaper to generate more card draw, and you’ll be able to slowly build your board. There are no infinite combos in this list, but with some additions like Rooftop Storm, you could find a loop involving Gravecrawler to infinitely drain the opponent’s health.

Weaknesses and How to Make Do

Because of Temmet, Naktamun’s Will‘s rather high casting cost of 5, you won’t get too many opportunities to recast him in each game. When Temmet is out of the picture, your Zombies are weaker in attack but are still capable of many tricks and Graveyard-fueled shenanigans. Make use of the secondary Commander Hashaton, Scarab’s Fist to create big token creatures for cheap.

Your Enchantments Necroduality, Renewed Solidarity and On Wings of Gold are there to amass high value for your other Zombies, even if Temmet is not on the battlefield. You’ll also want to utilize your two Liliana Planeswalkers to help level the playing field, either by creating Zombie tokens or thinning the opponents’ herd.

Opposing decks with lots of flying creatures are also a problem for Zombies. You’ll need to rely on your spot removal Instants such as Swords to Plowshares and Path to Exile to erase the biggest threats. This is one of the advantages of having Temmet as your Commander because he adds white to your color identity and provides more options in terms or removal and protection.

Real-World Game Advice

After a few rounds of Commander, we’ve come to realize that having Temmet, Naktamun’s Will on the battlefield is a very strong enabler for the deck, not just in offensive power but the ability to loot (draw and discard) on your attack. Because Temmet’s casting cost is on the higher side, you’ll likely get one less cast than your opponents. It’s important not to rush into casting Temmet too early and paint a big target on his back. Your other Zombies are more than enough to generate value and inflict small wounds on the opponent.

In the late game, The Scarab God is a force to be reckoned with because it’s so hard to kill and can bring any creature back from the dead. Look out for cards that can Exile other cards from the Graveyard, those need to go to keep your deck options open. Most importantly, be patient, sit back, and let the Zombies do what they do best – push and push until they get to munch on some brains.