Have you ever come across a Legendary Creature that seems impossible to run as your Commander? There are a handful of those in Magic the Gathering, but if we dig down deep enough we can usually find other cards that can turn that “unplayable” commander into a force to be reckoned with. Allow me to introduce today’s subject, Phage, the Untouchable:

Phage the Untouchable

3 B B B Legendary Creature – Avatar Minion 4/4

When Phage the Untouchable enters the battlefield, if you didn’t cast it from your hand, you lose the game. Whenever Phage deals combat damage to a creature, destroy that creature. It can’t be regenerated. Whenever Phage deals combat damage to a player, that player loses the game.

Phage can be an absolute powerhouse on the battlefield, in that she can one-shot any opponent. But, she comes with a steep downside; she has to be cast from the hand – not the Command Zone. Let’s see if we can make this glass cannon work!

In order to pilot this deck, we need to recognise the cons and obstacles that Phage presents.

Pros:

• Instantly causes a player to lose the game

Cons:

• Risk of causing its controller to lose the game
• High CMC
• Dependent upon combat

Now that we have identified the cons, let’s address each one of these concerns. (Note: I’m including what I feel is the relevant text on the card to make it easier for anyone reading this post. Some of these cards contain other text on them (i.e. Flying, etc.) , but I’m only listing what I feel is relevant.)

Here’s my proposed deck list.

How to Not Lose the Game

When Phage is cast directly from the command zone and comes into play – the method most players bring their commanders into play – Phage’s ability will trigger and cause its controller to lose the game. There are a variety of options available to the player, even in mono-black, to help bring Phage into play. Here are 12 cards to help address this concern.

Bring Phage Into Hand From Command Zone:

Command Beacon (Land)

• Tap, Sacrifice Command Beacon: Put your commander into your hand from the command zone.

Netherborn Altar (Artifact)

• Tap, Put a soul counter on Netherborn Altar: Put your commander into your hand from the command zone. Then you lose 3 life for each soul counter on Netherborn Altar.

Prevent Yourself from Losing the Game:

Platinum Angel (Artifact Creature)

• You can’t lose the game and your opponents can’t win the game.

Stunning Reversal (Instant)

• The next time you would lose the game this turn, instead draw seven cards and your life total becomes 1.

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Prevent Phage’s Ability From Resolving / Triggering:

Sundial of the Infinite (Artifact)

• 1, Tap: End the turn. Activate this ability only during your turn. (In order to use Sundial of the Infinite correctly when casting Phage from the command zone, wait until Phage’s trigger to kill you is on the stack, and then activate Sundial of the Infinite. This will immediately end the turn and get rid of everything on the stack, including Phage’s trigger.)

Torpor Orb (Artifact)

• Creatures entering the battlefield don’t cause abilities to trigger.

Counter Phage, Then Return It to Hand:

Countering Your Own Phage:

Thrull Wizard (Creature)

• 1, B,: Counter target black spell unless that spell’s controller pays B or 3.

Withering Boon Iinstant)

• As an additional cost to cast this spell, pay 3 life.
  Counter target creature spell.

Returning Phage from Graveyard to Hand:

Omen of the Dead (Enchantment)

• Flash
  When Omen of the Dead enters the battlefield, return target creature card from your graveyard to your hand.

Undertaker (Creature)

• B, Tap, Discard a card from your hand: Return target creature card from your graveyard to your hand.

Virtus’ Maneuver (Sorcery)

• For each player, choose friend or foe. Each friend returns a creature card from their graveyard to their hand. Each foe sacrifices a creature they control.

Volrath’s Stronghold (Land)

• 1, B, Tap: Put target creature card from your graveyard on top of your library.

How to Overcome the High Cost of Phage

Phage the Untouchable isn’t just 7 Mana Value, 4 of that 7 Mana has to be black to cast her. This presents two play style options:

1) Ramp like crazy and try to get Phage into play as quickly as possible and eliminate players while they are still playing their boards

2) Play patiently, eliminate players’ board pieces with targeted removal cards, and then cast Phage later in the game when it is safe, perhaps after a few board wipes have been played.

In this deck, I have opted towards playing Phage as quickly as I can get her out, unless there’s unreasonable risk in casting her. Therefore, to address the her high mana cost, we need as much ramp as we can get our hands on. Here are 23 cards to help address this concern.

Typical Ramp Cards:

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Basal Thrull (Creature)

• Tap, Sacrifice Basal Thrull: Add B B.

Bubbling Muck (Sorcery)

• Until end of turn, whenever a player taps a swamp for mana, it produces an additional B.

Cabal Coffers (Land)

• 2, Tap: Add B to your mana pool for each swamp you control.

Caged Sun (Artifact)

• As Caged Sun enters the battlefield, choose a color.
  Whenever a land’s ability causes you to add one or more mana of the chosen color, add one additional mana of that color.

Charcoal Diamond (Artifact)

• Tap: Add B.

Chrome Mox (Artifact)

• Imprint – When Chrome Mox comes into play, you may remove a nonartifact, nonland card in your hand from the game.
  Tap: Add one mana of any of the imprinted card’s colors to your mana pool.

Coalition Relic (Artifact)

• Tap: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.
  Tap: Put a charge counter on Coalition Relic.
  At the beginning of your precombat main phase, remove all charge counters from Coalition Relic. Add one mana of any color to your mana pool for each charge counter removed this way.

Crypt Ghast (Creature)

• Whenever you tap a Swamp for mana, add B to your mana pool (in addition to the mana the land produces).

Dark Ritual (Instant)

• Add B B B.

Fellwar Stone (Artifact)

• Tap: Add one mana of any color that a land an opponent controls could produce.

Grim Monolith (Artifact)

• Tap: Add 3.

Jet Medallion (Artifact)

• Your black spells cost 1 less to play.

Jeweled Amulet (Artifact)

• 1, Tap: Put a charge counter on Jeweled Amulet. Note the type of mana spent to pay this activation cost. Activate this ability only if there are no charge counters on Jeweled Amulet.
  Tap, Remove a charge counter from Jeweled Amulet: Add one mana of Jeweled Amulet’s last noted type.

Leaden Myr (Artifact Creature)

• Tap: Add B.

Mana Crypt (Artifact)

• Tap: Add 2.

Mana Vault (Artifact)

• Tap: Add 3.

Mind Stone (Artifact)

• Tap: Add 1.

Myriad Landscape (Land)

• 2, Tap, Sacrifice Myriad Landscape: Search your library for up to two basic land cards that share a land type, put them onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle your library.

Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx (Land)

• 2, Tap: Choose a color. Add to your mana pool an amount of mana of that color equal to your devotion to that color.

Sol Ring (Artifact)

• Tap: Add 2.

Wayfarer’s Bauble (Artifact)

• 2, Tap, Sacrifice Wayfarer’s Bauble: Search your library for a basic land card and put that card into play tapped. Then shuffle your library.

Not Quite Ramp, But Honourable Mentions:

Bog Initiate (Creature)

• 1: Add B.
• (Because a lot of ramp produces colorless mana, Bog Initiate is great at changing that mana into black mana.)

Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth (Land)

• Each land is a Swamp in addition to its other land types.
• (Because a lot of lands are non-basic lands that may not produce any black mana, Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth can make sure each of those lands can produce black mana.)

Get Phage to Deal Combat Damage:

Unless we do some sneaky shenanigans, such as bringing Phage the Untouchable into play under an opponent’s control (which is doable), Phage will only knock out a player via combat damage. The inherent hurdles to this play style is that Phage can’t be removed from the battlefield, she needs to actually get through to the opponent and deal combat damage to them, and she needs to do all of this as quickly as possible.

In other words, Phage needs to be protected, unblocked, and, if possible, given Haste. Here are 15 cards to help address this concern, despite some of them qualifying for multiple categories.

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Protection / Keeping Phage Alive:

High Market (Land)

• Tap, Sacrifice a creature: You gain 1 life.
• (In order to prevent another player from gaining control of Phage when we worked so hard to get her out, or in order to prevent her from Aura’s that would completely turn off her abilities, we can use High Market to sacrifice Phage and then use other cards to bring her from the graveyard back into our hand.)

Imp’s Mischief (Instant)

• Change the target of target spell with a single target. You lose life equal to that spell’s converted mana cost.

Lightning Greaves (Artifact)

• Equipped creature has haste and shroud.

Myojin of Night’s Reach (Creature)

• Myojin of Night’s Reach comes into play with a divinity counter on it if you played it from your hand.
  Myojin of Night’s Reach is indestructible as long as it has a divinity counter on it.
  Remove a divinity counter from Myojin of Night’s Reach: Each opponent discards his or her hand.
• (Having Myojin of Night’s Reach in play before bringing Phage the Untouchable into play is useful because we can remove its divinity counter to get rid of our opponent’s hands, ensuring that Phage won’t get countered.)

Swiftfoot Boots (Artifact)

• Equipped creature has hexproof and haste.

Whispersilk Cloak (Artifact)

• Equipped creature is unblockable and can’t be the target of spells or abilities.

Unblockable / Remove Potential Blockers:

Damnation (Sorcery)

• Destroy all creatures. They can’t be regenerated.

Dauthi Embrace (Enchantment)

• B B: Target creature gains shadow until end of turn.

Feed the Swarm (Sorcery)

• Destroy target creature or enchantment an opponent controls. You lose life equal to that permanent’s converted mana cost.

Force of Despair (Instant)

• Destroy all creatures that entered the battlefield this turn.

Key to the City (Artifact)

• Tap, Discard a card: Up to one creature can’t be blocked this turn.

Oubliette (Enchantment)

• When Oubliette enters the battlefield, target creature phases out until Oubliette leaves the battlefield. Tap that creature as it phases in this way.

Rogue’s Passage (Land)

• 4, Tap: Target creature can’t be blocked this turn.

Trailblazer’s Boots (Artifact)

• Equipped creature has nonbasic landwalk.

Whispersilk Cloak (Artifact)

• Equipped creature is unblockable and can’t be the target of spells or abilities.

Haste Enablers

Hall of the Bandit Lord (Land)

• Tap, Pay 3 life: Add 1 to your mana pool. If that mana is spent on a creature spell, that creature has haste.

Lightning Greaves (Artifact)

• Equipped creature has haste and shroud.

Swiftfoot Boots (Artifact)

• Equipped creature has hexproof and haste.

Rest of the Deck

Now that the three big concerns have each been addressed, we need to make sure we can stay in the game long enough to get each of our puzzle pieces that we require to successfully cast Phage and knock out our opponents.

For that, we need to focus on both getting the cards that we need and preventing other player’s from knocking us out along the way. There are a wide variety of card draw and tutor options in mono-black, and we even have some nifty ways to prevent players from swinging at us while we get the Phage engine going. Consider these 23 cards:

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Card Draw / Getting Through The Library:

Bolas’s Citadel (Artifact)

• You may look at the top card of your library any time.
  You may play the top card of your library. If you cast a spell this way, pay life equal to its converted mana cost rather than pay its mana cost.

Dark Bargain (Instant)

• Look at the top three cards of your library. Put two of them into your hand and the other into your graveyard. Dark Bargain deals 2 damage to you.

Dread Presence (Creature)

• Whenever a Swamp enters the battlefield under your control, choose one –
  -You draw a card and you lose 1 life.
  -Dread Presence deals 2 damage to any target and you gain 2 life.

Greed (Enchantment)

• B, Pay 2 life: Draw a card.

Mind Stone (Artifact)

• 1, Tap, Sacrifice Mind Stone: Draw a card.

Necropotence (Enchantment)

• Skip your draw step.
  Whenever you discard a card, exile that card from your graveyard.
  Pay 1 life: Exile the top card of your library face down. Put that card into your hand at the beginning of your next end step.

Phyrexian Arena (Enchantment)

• At the beginning of your upkeep, you draw a card and you lose 1 life.

Read the Bones (Sorcery)

• Scry 2, then draw two cards. You lose 2 life.

Scroll Rack (Artifact)

• 1, Tap: Exile any number of cards from your hand face down. Put that many cards from the top of your library into your hand. Then look at the exiled cards and put them on top of your library in any order.

Sensei’s Divining Top (Artifact)

• 1: Look at the top three cards of your library, then put them back in any order.
  Tap: Draw a card, then put Sensei’s Divining Top on top of its owner’s library.

Tutor Cards for Efficiency

Cruel Tutor (Sorcery)

• Search your deck for any card. Shuffle your deck and put that card on top of it. You lose 2 life.

Demonic Tutor (Sorcery)

• Search your library for a card, put that card into your hand, then shuffle your library.

Expedition Map (Artifact)

• 2, Tap, Sacrifice Expedition Map: Search your library for a land card, reveal it, and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library.

Grim Tutor (Sorcery)

• Search your library for any card and put that card into your hand. You lose 3 life.

Imperial Seal (Sorcery)

• Search your library for any one card. Shuffle your library and put that card on top of it. You lose 2 life.

Rune-Scarred Demon (Creature)

• When Rune-Scarred Demon enters the battlefield, search your library for a card, put it into your hand, then shuffle your library.

Vampiric Tutor (Instant)

• Search your library for a card, then shuffle your library and put that card on top of it. You lose 2 life.

Staying Alive

Dread Presence (Creature)

• Whenever a Swamp enters the battlefield under your control, choose one –
  -You draw a card and you lose 1 life.
  -Dread Presence deals 2 damage to any target and you gain 2 life.

Exsanguinate (Sorcery)

• Each opponent loses X life. You gain life equal to the life lost this way.

Gray Merchant of Asphodel (Creature)

• When Gray Merchant of Asphodel enters the battlefield, each opponent loses X life, where X is your devotion to black. You gain life equal to the life lost this way.

Myojin of Night’s Reach (Creature)

• Myojin of Night’s Reach comes into play with a divinity counter on it if you played it from your hand.
  Myojin of Night’s Reach is indestructible as long as it has a divinity counter on it.
  Remove a divinity counter from Myojin of Night’s Reach: Each opponent discards his or her hand.

No Mercy (Enchantment)

• Whenever a creature successfully deals damage to you, destroy it.

Stuffy Doll (Artifact Creature)

• As Stuffy Doll comes into play, choose a player.
  Stuffy Doll is indestructible.
  Whenever damage is dealt to Stuffy Doll, it deals that much damage to the chosen player.
• (The key here is that Stuffy Doll is indestructible, so it can prevent damage from getting to us while we are working on building up our board. Other indestructible creatures, such as the eldrazi titans, could also be used, especially since this deck can push out a lot of mana.)

Bonus Win Condition

Lastly, there is another way to win with Phage the Untouchable other than through combat damage, as I have referenced earlier. The card that gets that done is Endless Whispers.

Endless Whispers (Enchantment)

• Each creature has “When this creature is put into a graveyard from play, choose target opponent. That player puts this creature card from that graveyard into play under his or her control at end of turn.”
• (If we can have our Phage the Untouchable die, such as through High Market (mentioned earlier in the “Protection” section), when it hits the graveyard we can give it to an opponent, causing that opponent to lose the game. When that opponent loses the game, Phage goes back int our graveyard, causing Endless Whispers to trigger again, and then we can give Phage to the next player. This process will continue until we wipe out all of our opponents.)

End Step

I can understand why some players wouldn’t like playing a Phage the Untouchable deck – it’s janky, vulnerable, and requires a lot of commitment into one strategy – but hopefully this information can help illustrate how a Phage deck is both doable and threatening. Afterall, she just needs to touch someone once for them to lose the game. So cross your fingers that she eliminates your opponents and not you.

What other cards or suggestions do you have that would be beneficial to someone trying to play a Phage the Untouchable deck? Tell us at lets@tapandsac.com!