Finally we got a new card for Baron Sengir, a character whose lineage dates back to the very beginning of Magic. Tevesh Szvat is similarly old, but his very first planeswalker card is brand-new. The best part is, both cards have partner, so they can both be at the helm of a monoblack aristocrats strategy.
After a long wait, Baron Sengir finally received a new updated card. was one of the first cards previewed for Commander Legends. Eliciting a lot of nostalgia, I immediately wanted to build a deck around this character. Seeing how it gets more powerful the more creatures die, this commander is a perfect fit for any aristocrat strategy. However, I could not figure out with whom to partner it. That is, until I saw a card for Tevesh Szat. is a powerful planeswalker from Dominaria's past who creates 0/1 Thrulls and features an ability that lets you use your creatures for card draw. These abilities synergize perfectly with Sengir and if we get to Szat's ultimate we can even steal our opponent's commanders to use as we please.
Killing Everyone Equally
Since Sengir only cares about creatures dying, this is a deck where edict effects can do wonders. Each time a creature dies, Sengir gets +2/+2 permanently. Casting a card like , , , or and forcing our opponents to sacrifice a creature lets Sengir grow very quickly — with four players for example, it can result in a permanent boost of +8/+8. And that's only just the beginning …
creates a 2/2 Zombie but also provides card draw each time we sacrifice a creature. Her −4 ability is an edict effect where each player needs to sacrifice two creatures. will make sure that when we sacrifice one of our own creatures we also see lots of additional carnage. is a new spell we can use at instant speed to grow Sengir. Meanwhile, is a one-sided board wipe that, if cast at the right time, can make Sengir powerful enough to kill an opponent with commander damage outright. A good way to keep our opponent's boards in check and kill multiple creatures in one go can be .
Tokens for the Slaughter
Tevesh Szat already makes tokens. However, in order to grow our other commander more effectively, we need more creature material to use and sacrifice. creates Zombie tokens at a quick pace while provides us with a 1/1 deathtouch Snake during each upkeep if we don't control another Snake. This means that we can use the token for one of our sacrifice outlets before the next upkeep and will always get a new one on each turn. Similarly, creates a 1/1 flying Fairie on each of our turns. and create Eldrazi Spawn and Scion tokens respectively, which we can use for mana.
can steal the top card of our opponents library and manifest it on our side of the field. Alternatively, if we have an opponent who has a lot of creatures in their graveyard, can be an effective way to hate on that graveyard while also giving us bodies to sacrifice. on the other hand can be used to hate on everyone's graveyard or force our opponents to sacrifice their strongest creature. If we control one of our commanders, we can even choose both.
Killing for Value
Value for this kind of deck can be many things. Of course, Tevesh Szat lets us sacrifice a creature for card draw, which is basically the same as . can ramp big time. can make himself bigger while also providing card advantage. Each time we sacrifice a creature we can also be draining our opponents' life with cards like , , and .
The Deck
| Sengir and Szat, Monoblack Nobility |
|---|
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 25
- 1
-
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
| - 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
-
- 1
| - 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
-
- Commanders:
- 1
- 1
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Conclusion
I think I might have nostalgia goggles when it comes to OG characters from Magic's past because I really enjoy this deck. Maybe it's the fact that it is very easy to kill opponents with the Baron itself. As an added extra, whenever another player loses the game, I gain life equal to that player's former life total. Tevesh Szat really supports the Baron's game plan and I found that I only need to cast the six-drop when I can protect it in order for it to stick around and deal some serious damage. Cards like and are perfect surprises while having a or a makes Sengir an immediate threat.
What do you think of this aristocrats deck? Or would you have prefered a Vampire build for Sengir? Let us know down below!
Opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily Cardmarket.
