#spell-slinging

The Many Forms of Yidris, Maelstrom Wanderer 

Out of the commander 2016 four color commanders, Yidris is probably the most interesting allowing for several different strategies. I find that the other four encourage a certain strategy and makes it very hard to deviate from that strategy. With Yidris however, It’s quite easy to come up with a pretty good list for a voltron deck, a deck made up largely of creatures and a spell-slinging deck. Yidris is a 5/4 for 4 mana with Trample, that bestows cascade to spells cast from your hand if he deals combat damage that turn. 

Creature Heavy decks 

This deck is mostly green and super easy to build, just take an old Kruphix, God of Horizons deck (minus the prophet mind you, which really hurts my Kruphix deck), that probably contains creatures like Craterhoof Behemoth, Trygon Predator, Progenitor Mimic and Avenger of Zendikar and add some of the add some mana dorks like Somberwald Sage, Bloom Tender, Gyre Sage and Birds of Paradise. Then just add some cool red and/or black spells like Stalking Vengeance, Inferno Titan, Warstorm Surge and Master of Cruelties. 

Spell-slinging Decks 

This deck will be mostly Red and Blue. Though this deck will have far fewer creatures, it will contain several of the same mana dorks. Though this deck will contain creatures such as Mirrorwing Dragon, Zada, Hedron Grinder, Mercurial Geists and Nivix Cyclops along with any creature that gains a bonus when instant and sorcery spells are cast. Most of the spells in this deck will be really cheap and will hopefully allow you to draw cards. These will include spells like Uncaged Fury, Distortion Strike, Giant Growth and Butcher’s Glee. Paradox Engine and Cryptolith Rite make a really good combination too allowing you to tap your creatures to produce the mana needed to cast these spells. Aetherflux Reservoir is also a good choice for this deck for life gain and a potential win condition.

Voltron Decks 

This is much like my idea for the spell-slinging deck only with more permanent methods of “powering-up” the commander and other creatures perhaps. I thought maybe auras such as Rancor, Claws of Valakut, Aqueous Form and Auramancer’s Guise. Or Equipment such as the Sword of Feast and Famine, Lashwrithe, Nim Deathmantle and Whispersilk Cloak, or a combination of both. Decimator of the Provinces and Craterhoof Behemoth are both good finishers in such a deck.

Extra Turn Decks (Please, No)

This is pretty self explanatory and not something I advocate. Spells such as Temporal Extortion, Time Stretch, Time Warp and Temporal Mastery are all common choices for such a deck and Yidris’s Cascade ability just makes it easier to run into them. I wouldn’t recommend doing too much of this or the table will quickly turn against you.  

And Finally...