You solved the mystery of who killed Teysa Karlov easily, but figuring out which is the best Murders at Karlov Manor Commander deck may not be so. Like with many other sets, the Commander decks vary a lot in power level, value, and suitability for newer players. Despite the main set being rather unexciting for competitive players, the Commander decks actually hold up pretty well, even if it’s not across the board. So which Murders at Karlov Manor deck is the killer one?
Here at Tap & Sac, we’ll be rating the precons based on the following metrics:
Power Level – How does the deck fare against most modern preconstructed EDH decks?
Value – What are the reprints of value in the deck, and does the price tag of the deck justify the price of the cards within the deck?
Upgradability – How easily can a player afford upgrades to the deck? And how easily can a player increase the power level of the deck?
Beginner Friendliness – How easy is the deck to pilot? Does it utilise exceedingly complex mechanics or reference niche mechanics using very wordy cards?
Before we start deducing the mystery of which deck is the strongest, here is the full deck lists for the 4 Murders at Karlov Manor Commander decks!
Blame Game | Murders at Karlov Manor Commander Deck
Overview
Blame Game clearly need suspects, hence it revolves heavily around the new Suspect mechanic in Murders at Karlov Manor. A Suspected Creature has Menace, which makes it a more potent attacker. But it also can no longer block, so all your focus is on offence. Its face Commander is Nelly Borca, Impulsive Accuser, with 2/4 stats coupled with Vigilance.
Nelly’s two separate abilities work off each other. You get to Suspect an opponent’s Creature when she attacks, and then Goad all that have been Suspected. Your strategy is thus to prevent opponents from blocking Nelly (and your other big threats), while letting their Goaded Creatures fight amongst themselves. The only downside with Nelly is that opponents get to draw a card (and you too) whenever an opponent deals combat damage to another opponent.
Check out the full deck list here!
Playability
Blame Game is going to cause all sorts of political drama and is likely to keep the game state balanced and spicy, especially when opponents are facing off each other with their Goaded Creatures. At the same time, everyone is drawing cards, which likely leads to big plays and board wipe spells, so that could be really bad for your gameplan.
This precon deck surprisingly does not carry the usual interaction spells you would expect with white. There’s no Swords to Plowshares or Path to Exile, and you don’t even get any of the Indestructible protection spells (Unbreakable Formation) that are more commonly seen in recent times. Your main Instants are damage prevention in the form of Deflecting Palm, Immortal Obligation and Comeuppance and that can be fun in its own right as the damage can redirected to an opponent.
Blame Game also relies a lot on Enchantments for support. With 14 in the deck, you can either cast Auras on Nelly, or on opponent’s Creatures that will prevent them from attacking you. Vow of Duty and Vow of Lightning are 2 such Auras that can permanently stop them from hitting you. The Auras also fit in nicely with the new card Feather, Radiant Arbiter[c] as she will let you copy those Auras as many times as you want if you have the Mana to spare.
Big punchy Creatures are what Blame Game will rely on to snag the win. You’ve got the tried-and-trusted [c]Sun Titan and Etali, Primal Storm, two 6/6 Creatures that are going to generate a lot of value for you. Fiendish Duo and Gisela, Blade of Goldnight are damage doublers that will help you finish the game faster. That is, provided you survive control spells that your opponents almost definitely will cast against your big army.
Value
Blame Game sits on the lower end of the value charts, as the deck is simply lacking reprints of major cards. Its best reprint is Loran of the Third Path, a underestimated Rare Creature that lets you destroy an Artifact or Enchantment as it comes in. It’s seeing a lot of play in Commander for its versatility, so this is a nice include. We already mentioned the lack of staples such as Path to Exile, though this deck does include Reliquary Tower and Thought Vessel that can both be used in just about any deck.
The deck also contains a new card – Trouble in Pairs – that is seeing interest thanks to its ability to draw up to 3 cards each turn, while the “anti-extra turns” ability doesn’t hurt as well. White hasn’t been spectacular with drawing cards, and Trouble in Pairs puts some hope into mono-white players. We expect the price to fall from its current $17 tag, so if your plan is to sell this off as a single card, don’t wait too long to buy Blame Game.
Upgradability
Adding more Instants would greatly increase the deck’s ability to interact and stay in the game. Lightning Helix is a cheap upgrade now that it has been reprinted in the main set, and get quickly deal with smaller Commanders and threats while netting you some life. Unbreakable Formation or Make a Stand are both good cards to add in as it can save your army from mass destruction effects. Boros Charm is another red-white staple that is both cheap and highly versatile, it can protect all your Permanents from destruction or give one of your Creatures Double Strike.
To support your combat strategies, anthem effects that buff all your Creatures can be used. Enchantments like Glorious Anthem, A Tale for the Ages or Flowering of the White Tree are generally better than one-time Instant buffs since they will apply continuously until an opponent removes them. If you like to balance between offence and defence, Glory of Warfare is another excellent choice.
Beginner Friendliness
Combat and Goading Creatures are some of the most straightforward and fun ways to play Magic – who doesn’t like to see your opponents have a go at each other? Alongside the new Suspect mechanic, the main challenge will probably be keeping tabs on which Creatures are Suspected, Goaded, or both. This could be somewhat confusing for a brand new player, but anyone with a few games under their belt should be fine.
The other main drawback with Blame Game is that it sets the player up for a big fall, if they’ve built up a sizeable board of beefy Creatures only to see them wiped out with a Blasphemous Act (commonly found in other precon decks). The rebuild will be slow and frustrating, Nevertheless, the thrill of confusing the opponents’ Creatures and hitting them with your own should serve as a delightful experience to beginners.
Final Score
Deadly Disguise | Murders at Karlov Manor Commander Deck
Overview
Taking advantage of the new Disguise and Cloak mechanics in Murders at Karlov Manor, Kaust, Eyes of the Glade is red-green-white Commander that actually only needs 2 Mana to cast. Kaust’s first ability lets you draw a card whenever a Creature that was turned face-up deals combat damage to a player.
Deadly Disguise contains plenty of Morph cards (that also puts Creatures face-down). Because face-down Creatures can still attack as 2/2s, Kaust has a second ability that makes the opponent think twice whether to block. Kaust taps to turn one Creature face-up, for 0 Mana! It makes the deck extra sneaky, not to mention being able to cheat in big Creatures by first putting them face-down and then turning them face-up using Kaust.
Check out the full deck list here!
Playability
Although all Commander decks rely on its general to various degrees, Deadly Disguise is especially reliant. Morph costs are generally high, so without Kaust to turn your Creatures face-up for free, you’re unlikely to do so more than once on your turn. This could mean you fall behind on the Battlefield, where your opponents are generating more value than you.
Thankfully, the deck has some decent inclusions for ramp and Creature removal. In the ramp department, you have Nature’s Lore and Three Visits, though you may find that insufficient considering you have 8 Creatures in the deck that cost 6 Mana or more. If you’re not ramping fast enough on Mana, you’ll be stuck with cards in your hand, considerably slowing your deck down. Despite a 3-colour deck, there are no Talismans or Signets to help with ramp. Jeska’s Will will help in getting some face-down Creatures on the board, if you’re lucky enough to draw it.
To buy you some time before you can cast or face-up your big Creatures, there are 3 conditional board wipes that will come in handy – Fell the Mighty, Austere Command and Dusk//Dawn. When you’ve got a good number of Lands to cast more of your Creatures, that’s when you can steamroll over most precon decks. There’s a big question mark over how easy or difficult it is to pull it off, but we’re leaning towards the latter.
Value
Deadly Disguise contains a number of nice reprints. Jeska’s Will fits nicely into any deck that uses red, and will confidently maintain a decent price, despite downswings every time it is reprinted. Seedborn Muse is another excellent reprint because her ability to untap all your Lands and Creatures each turn is too good to pass up. It’s now mostly seen in stax decks, and the demand for it will always be there.
Toski, Bearer of Secrets has also been a revelation among green decks. It’s Indestructible, so it’s hard to get rid of, but mainly it’s such an efficient card draw engine that there haven’t been enough copies to go around. Barring more reprints in the near future, Toski should still hold value around the $5 range. To round it off, Austere Command, Path to Exile and Beast Whisperer all chip in to raise this deck’s value.
Upgradability
It’s really strange that a Murders at Karlov Manor precon deck doesn’t include cards that use the new mechanics introduced in the set. Disguise is effectively an upgraded Morph, as the face-down Creature has Ward 2, whereas Morph doesn’t. Let’s take a look at some worthy Disguise cards that you can use as upgrades:
Dog Walker has a nice upside, creating two 1/1 tokens. They may not look like much, but when you have Mirror Entity in the deck, they can be pretty scary. Pyrotechnic Performer is a must-have in this deck, as any Creature that is turned face-up will get to deal damage equal to its power to each opponent. Seeing how the deck has plenty of Morph Creatures with Power 5 and higher, you’re potentially dealing a lot of damage.
Because Disguise and Cloak are new mechanics, there really isn’t many options to choose from.
Beginner Friendliness
With Deadly Disguise, there could be confusion with so many face-down mechanics in play. First there’s Morph and Megamorph (which adds a +1/+1 counter when turned face-up). Then there’s the new Disguise and Cloak that was just introduced in Murders at Karlov Manor. The deck even has Mastery of the Unseen which uses the Manifest mechanic. Most don’t realise this before playing, but each face-down Creature has to be carefully checked on what mechanic or abilities they have. There’ll be lots of secret flipping of cards up so that you know what it does. For a beginner, this can become overwhelming to manage, and this is on top of a 4-player, multiplayer Battlefield.
Final Score
Deep Clue Sea | Murders at Karlov Manor Commander Deck
Overview
Like drawing cards? Then Deep Clue Sea is your perfect partner. It’s led by Morska, Undersea Sleuth, a white-blue-green Creature with base stats 2/3. The Fish Detective even comes with 3 distinct abilities that all complement the theme of drawing cards.
Most of the deck will revolve around drawing an additional card on your turn, through Clue tokens. And having blue and white means you can expect to have a lot of interaction with opponents’ board state.
Playability
The goal of Deep Clue Sea is truly to outvalue the opponent by drawing more cards, being able to deal with any threat that your opponents can throw at you, and then chipping at their life total using Creatures.
Even though Deep Clue Sea focuses a lot on Clues and drawing extra cards, there’s a subtheme going on as well, which is creating Creature tokens. There’s Jolrael, Mwonvuli Recluse that creates Cats when you draw your second card, and effect doublers like Adrix and Nev, Twincasters also affects Creature tokens as well.
It’s actually pretty easy draw that second card, since Morska, Undersea Sleuth guarantees a Clue token on your turn. Just pay 2 Mana to sacrifice that Clue and not only do you have drawn 2 cards that turn, you even give Morska +2/+2 each time. Even if you don’t overwhelm your opponents with scary monsters like Hydroid Krasis or Koma, Cosmos Serpent, they’ll have to deal with a very big fish Commander that can kill easily with 2 hits (of Commander damage).
There’s even a 3rd, alternate way of winning, and that’s through Mechanized Production. Apart from the Clue tokens, there are plenty of other traditional Artifacts or Artifact Creatures that Deep Clue Sea generates, so winning this way is a viable strategy.
If there is a drawback with this deck, it’s that it doesn’t deal with threats directly. There are only 3 Instants in Deep Clue Sea – 1 removal, 1 counter spell, and 1 that merely blinks Creatures. It’s hardly enough even in a lower powered deck, so some upgrades will definitely be needed to up the defensive capabilities of this deck.
Value
Not too long ago, Deep Clue Sea would have been a shipwreck hunter’s wet dream. Cards such as Kappa Cannoneer and Hydroid Krasis were close to $20 each, if not more. Mechanized Production was not far off either. However, these cards are fallen under the “bulk rare” category after multiple reprints. That doesn’t mean Deep Clue Sea isn’t worth diving underwater for treasure.
Farewell is still a highly sought after card, thanks to its incredibly powerful ability to restart the board unlike any other spells that came before. It used to cost above $10, but again thanks to recent reprints, it has dropped to around the $6 mark. Academy Manufactor is another valuable inclusion in this deck. It’s versatile and creates tons of value in any Treasure, Food or Clue deck, so odds are it will not drop below the $5 mark.
Bennie Bracks, Zoologist is a nice reprint since it was previously only available in another Commander precon deck, and generates so much value in a token-focused deck. There are notable reprints for Uncommons as well. Swords to Plowshares makes its obligatory appearance, while it’s also nice to see Wilderness Reclamation and the 3 Talisman Artifacts.
Upgradability
There’s a lot one can do to improve Deep Clue Sea’s interactive capability when it comes to dealing with opponents’ threats. In white you have Path to Exile as another premium removal spells, or simply use any other Enchantment-based removal such as Makeshift Binding or Grasp of Fate. It’s also wise to add at least a couple other counter spells, with Negate and Disdainful Stroke very cheap and effective options. The original Counterspell is always a fan-favourite, and some also rely on Arcane Denial.
When it comes to doubling token-creation effects, Doubling Season and Parallel Lives are unfortunately on the pricey side, but there are other cards that can help boost your combat power. Unnatural Growth is amazing because it double Power and Toughness for all combat phases, and there’s the Creature option Zopandrel, Hunger Dominus that can even give itself Indestructible (which is not hard to do since you’ll have plenty of Creature tokens).
Beginner Friendliness
Deep Clue Sea should be pretty easy to pilot, since all a beginner needs to do is draw more cards, grow their Creatures, and win by combat. There aren’t tricky new mechanics to wrap their head around, and with some of the powerhouses in this deck (e.g. Koma), one could feel like it’s getting too much of a leg-up.
The Commander Morska, Undersea Sleuth is not only cheap to cast at 3 Mana, its 3 abilities are all relevant and are either passive or easily triggered. The lack of Instants out of the box can also be a blessing in disguise for beginners, as it takes away the complexity of the managing the Stack. Imagine their joy when they get to swing in with their 10/11 Nadir Kraken or with 10 Koma’s Coils. Absolutely perfect.
Final Score
Revenant Recon | Murders at Karlov Manor
Overview
Revenant Recon is all about the Surveil mechanic, dumping cards into the Graveyard so that you can manipulate it as you wish. Its Commander, Mirko, Obsessive Theorist, starts of as a weak 1/3 flyer for 3 Mana, but can easily grow with a +1/+1 counter added on for each Surveil trigger.
Its secret weapon is the ability to reanimate any Creature from your Graveyard, as long as its Power is less than Mirko’s. The longer it stays around, the nastier the monsters that will rise from the grave.
Playability
You might think Revenant Recon just throws in a bunch of Surveil cards along with some ghastly-looking Creatures and call it a day, but it’s actually not that simple. There are some out-of-character inclusions that doesn’t make much sense. Baleful Strix provides a lot of value, but it doesn’t Surveil, and the same goes with Copy Catchers, which would be a better fit in a clone deck.
The main goal would still be to get some Creatures out early. Dimir Spybug, Nightveil Sprite[/c], and the new Dogged Detective can start surveiling even before Mirko, Obsessive Theorist hits the board, though sometimes you’ll want to wait till after you’ve cast your Commander to get maximum benefit. You’ll want to get Mirko pumped up with 6 +1/+1 counters so that all the big hitters can be reanimated.
The good news with Revenant Recon is that it’s highly versatile in removing threats on the Battlefield. Creatures such as Ravenous Chupacabra and Shriekmaw can outright destroy Creatures, and even if they die in combat, can be brought back to life for another round of killing. Syr Konrad, the Grim does additional work in the background, slowly draining the life of your opponents.
This deck does what blue and black decks do best – reanimation, removal, and copying Creatures. It just doesn’t stick to a single strategy but rather tries to consider all scenarios and lets the player decide how best to handle it.
Value
Revenant Recon is the outright winner when it comes to print value. It houses 2 Commander staples in the form of Reanimate and Toxic Deluge, both powerful cards that used to fetch a pretty penny. While they are no longer $30 cards, you can still sell these for around $10 each, making this precon deck a really value buy if you want the other cards. Rise of the Dark Realms is another welcome reprint that is incredibly powerful but has a high casting cost of 9.
The brand new card Final-Word Phantom holds a lot of potential, as it’s virtually a Creature-based Vedelken Orrery on a Creature. This deck also has sweet Uncommons like Animate Dead, Talisman of Dominance and Thought Vessel. One can’t get enough of Brainstorms and Considers too. Unfortunately, Massacre Wurm and Sphinx of the Second Sun have been down shifted from Mythics to Rares, and thus don’t hold as much value today.
Upgradability
The Revenant Recon is suitably balanced out of the box, but there are always some cheap upgrades that you can do, especially to make the gameplay more streamlined and focused on just 2 or 3 lines of strategy. Snarling Gorehound is a new Murders at Karlov Manor card that is glaringly missing in this deck, especially when there are several Creatures with Power 2 or less that can give more than a couple of Surveil triggers. Likely, Think Tank is an old card that now lets you Surveil 1 during your Upkeep, guaranteeing more value for Mirko, Obsessive Theorist.
Eat to Extinction now has Surveil in its oracle text, and it’s a great choice for exiling Creatures or Planeswalkers while setting off Surveil triggers. When it comes to counter spells, Sinister Sabotage is an obvious choice. Despite costing 3 Mana, it does let you Surveil, again getting more value off your Commander and other cards in the deck.
For those with a little more budget, Sword of Once and Future lets you Surveil whenever equipped Creature deals combat damage to a player, though it’s protection from blue and black can work against you sometimes. A little less pricey is the new Surveil land – Undercity Sewers – also from the main set. That’s about it for upgrades, as Surveil still hasn’t had that much support compared to other mechanics.
Beginner Friendliness
Surveil is similar to Scry, with the added benefit of filling your Graveyard for future manipulation. While that is one more thing for a new player to juggle in their limited mind space, we still feel it’s a fairly direct strategy that anyone can handle. The tricky part comes in the mid to late game, where in order to get the most value of the deck, one needs to able to plan ahead and get the right Creatures into the Graveyard. Revenant Recon is also 2 colours, so managing the Mana base will be easier than Deep Clue Sea, for example.
Final Score
