Ikoria's Symbiotic Swarm Commander Deck Review

by Jhon Lennon 47 views

Alright, gather 'round, fellow Magic: The Gathering enthusiasts! Today, we're diving deep into the Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths Commander 2020 release, specifically dissecting the Symbiotic Swarm deck. If you're itching to unleash hordes of creatures, overwhelm your opponents with sheer numbers, and explore the wild, mutated world of Ikoria, then buckle up. We're about to break down everything this deck has to offer, from its strengths and weaknesses to key cards and potential upgrades. This review is designed to give you a comprehensive understanding, whether you're a seasoned Commander player or just starting your journey into the format.

Unboxing the Swarm: First Impressions

So, you've just ripped open the packaging of the Symbiotic Swarm deck. What hits you first? Well, the artwork is undeniably striking, capturing the essence of Ikoria's monstrous biodiversity. The deck box itself is sturdy enough to protect your precious cards, which is always a plus. Inside, you'll find the preconstructed deck of 100 cards, a foil oversized commander card, a handful of double-sided tokens, a deck insert with some basic strategy tips, and a life wheel. It’s a pretty standard package for a Commander pre-con, but the real meat is in the cards themselves. The theme of the deck is readily apparent: go wide with tokens, mutate creatures, and generally overwhelm your opponents with a relentless wave of beasts. The initial impression is that this deck is well-suited for players who enjoy aggressive, creature-centric strategies and aren't afraid to get a little bit messy with their board state. It's also a fantastic entry point for those new to Commander, as the game plan is relatively straightforward to grasp. However, experienced players will also find some interesting synergies and strategic depth to explore.

The Commanders: Leading the Charge

Every Commander deck lives and dies by its commander, and Symbiotic Swarm gives us a couple of interesting options to helm our forces. Let's take a closer look:

Kathril, Aspect Warper

Kathril, Aspect Warper is the face commander of the deck, and rightfully so. This beastie is a 4/4 for five mana (three generic, one green, one white) with a unique ability: When it enters the battlefield, you put a number of different counters from among deathtouch, double strike, flying, hexproof, lifelink, menace, trample, and vigilance from among creatures you control and/or creature cards in your graveyard onto Kathril. This essentially turns Kathril into a super- Voltron creature, inheriting all the best keywords from your fallen (or currently existing) comrades. This means your entire strategy should be to play creatures with keywords and fill your graveyard with keyword creatures. Kathril is extremely powerful when built and played correctly.

Strengths:

  • Voltron Potential: Kathril can become an absolute monster very quickly, making it a potent threat in combat. Slapping a bunch of keywords onto one creature can end games in a hurry.
  • Graveyard Synergies: The deck naturally fills the graveyard, so Kathril often enters the battlefield with a substantial number of keywords.
  • Resilience: With keywords like hexproof and lifelink, Kathril can be surprisingly difficult to remove and can help stabilize your life total.

Weaknesses:

  • Vulnerable to Removal: While keywords like hexproof help, Kathril is still susceptible to board wipes and targeted removal before the keywords come into play. If Kathril is removed after keywords come into play, then all of your creatures die for nothing.
  • Mana Intensive: Five mana is a fair cost, but it can be a bit slow in faster Commander pods.
  • Reliance on Setup: Kathril needs creatures with keywords in play or in the graveyard to truly shine. Without that setup, it's just a vanilla 4/4.

Tayam, Luminous Enforcer

Tayam, Luminous Enforcer is the alternate commander, and it offers a very different playstyle. Tayam is a 3/3 for three mana (one white, one black, one green) with an activated ability that allows you to pay three mana and exile three cards from your graveyard to put a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control. The number of keywords that each creature has equals the cost reduction you gain when activating the ability. So a creature with 2 keywords reduces the cost by 2. Meaning if one of your creatures has 3 keywords, you can activate this ability for free. Tayam wants you to fill your graveyard and play creatures with keywords to help you build up and boost your creatures.

Strengths:

  • Graveyard Recursion: Tayam thrives on filling the graveyard with creatures and then bringing them back, creating a resilient engine.
  • Value Engine: The ability to repeatedly recur creatures provides a steady stream of card advantage and board presence.
  • Flexible Strategy: Tayam can support a variety of strategies, from creature-based beatdown to combo-oriented decks.

Weaknesses:

  • Graveyard Hate: Decks that can exile your graveyard can completely shut down Tayam's engine.
  • Mana Intensive: While the activated ability is powerful, it requires a significant mana investment over time.
  • Vulnerable to Removal: Like Kathril, Tayam is susceptible to removal, and its lower toughness makes it easier to deal with.

Key Cards and Synergies

Symbiotic Swarm is packed with cards that support its go-wide and graveyard-centric strategies. Here are some of the standouts:

  • Mycoloth: This card can quickly generate a massive number of Saproling tokens, providing a huge boost to your board presence and fueling sacrifice strategies.
  • Gravebreaker Lamia: A solid body with the ability to fill your graveyard and provide card filtering. Enables Kathril to be more powerful.
  • Boneyard Mycodrax: As long as you have creatures in your graveyard, then you can cast this creature for cheap. A 7/7 creature is a massive threat to opponents.
  • Hunted Nightmare: A big body that fills your graveyard and also gives Kathril keywords. This card is extremely valuable in the deck.
  • Migration Path: This is a dual ramp and token generating card. Use this card to ramp up in the early game and play it for its mutate ability in the later game.

These cards, combined with the various token generators and graveyard enablers in the deck, create a powerful and synergistic engine that can overwhelm opponents with sheer numbers and resilient threats.

Upgrading the Swarm: Unleashing its Full Potential

While Symbiotic Swarm is a solid preconstructed deck, it can be significantly improved with a few key upgrades. Here are some suggestions:

  • More Keyword Creatures: Cards like [[Knight of Autumn]] and [[Qasali Pridemage]] provide valuable keywords while also offering utility.
  • Graveyard Protection: Cards like [[ ਵੈਟਨਟੈਡਰ ]] can help protect your graveyard from hate and ensure that you can continue to recur your creatures.
  • Board Wipes: Cards like [[Wrath of God]] and [[Damnation]] can help you reset the board and give you a chance to rebuild.
  • Ramp: Adding more ramp spells like [[Cultivate]] and [[Kodama's Reach]] will help you cast your creatures earlier and more consistently.

By adding these cards, you can significantly improve the deck's consistency, resilience, and overall power level.

Final Verdict: Is the Swarm Worth It?

So, is the Symbiotic Swarm deck worth your hard-earned cash? Absolutely! It's a well-designed, synergistic deck that offers a fun and engaging Commander experience. It's perfect for players who enjoy creature-based strategies, graveyard shenanigans, and overwhelming their opponents with sheer numbers. The deck is also a great entry point for new Commander players, as the game plan is relatively straightforward and easy to grasp. While the deck can be improved with some upgrades, it's perfectly playable right out of the box. Whether you're a seasoned Commander veteran or a newcomer to the format, Symbiotic Swarm is sure to provide hours of monstrous fun.

In conclusion, the Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths Commander 2020 Symbiotic Swarm deck is a fantastic addition to any Commander collection. Its unique commanders, synergistic cards, and upgrade potential make it a worthwhile investment for players of all skill levels. So, go forth and unleash the swarm upon your unsuspecting opponents!