Table of Contents
The Blue-Green color combination has a bit of infamy to it. Simic has access to just about everything you could ask for, from ramp to counterspells to powerful creatures. Simic can do a lot of wild things at every level of Commander, from the lowest brackets all the way up to cEDH. However, Commander is more than just about winning. It’s also about having fun and doing goofy stuff. That’s what this article will be looking at: fun, casual Simic builds to play. These aren’t the most powerful decks, but they are ones that are focused on fun rather than power. You won’t be winning any tournaments with these decks, but what you will have is a good time playing them. From unorthodox lists to fun archetypes, these casual Simic decks offer something new for your Commander deck repertoire.
That Creature Type Exists?
Volo, Guide to Monsters is a commander that is solid. It encourages you to play only one of each creature type in your deck in order to double up on creatures. You can copy some powerful creatures in the deck, but copying great creatures can get boring. What’s more fun is playing creature types that most people don’t even know exist.
For example, have you ever heard of a Sable? Because Bronze Sable exists, and is the only creature of that type. The same goes for Bronze Walrus and Giant Oyster. The idea of this particular deck is to play the most obscure creatures as possible. It’s like teaching some Magic history, showing off the forgotten and obscure creature types throughout Magic.
To make the deck function a bit better, there are some ways to copy triggered abilities to get more creature tokens out of Volo, Guide to Monsters. These include Strionic Resonator, Panharmonicon, and Twinning Staff. You can also double up on all your tokens with Second Harvest.
The deck does require a fair bit of mana, so there are various tools in it to help you to ramp. Brightcap Badger provides you a stream of tokens that it can turn into mana dorks, especially useful when you create copies of it. Three Tree Rootweaver provides any color of mana, while Ornithopter of Paradise does the same while giving you a flying blocker if need be.
To help close out games, there are a handful of creatures that provide some useful stat and ability boosts. Ornery Tumblewagg can keep tossing +1/+1 counters on your creatures, and can double them as well. If there is a player drawing a lot of cards, you can flash in Thought Sponge for it to enter with various +1/+1 counters. Slith Predator slowly powers itself up with counters whenever it deals damage. It’s a slow burn, but it can slowly build up its stats.
A sample decklist can be viewed below. The creature list is very large as it’s a very creature-focused deck. Some creature types might be ones you’ve never even heard of, as is the intention of the deck.
Commander
Creatures (52)
Artifacts (8)
Lands (34)
100 Cards
$124.14
Bobbling Bobbleheads
Bobbleheads are a series of cards that are mana rocks with an additional effect that get more powerful the more Bobbleheads you have. There are seven in total: Agility Bobblehead, Charisma Bobblehead, Endurance Bobblehead, Intelligence Bobblehead, Luck Bobblehead, Perception Bobblehead, and Strength Bobblehead. The idea is to get them all on the battlefield as quickly as possible to get the most out of their effects.
There are only seven Bobbleheads, so you want ways to copy them to get more on the battlefield. One half of your commander, The Sixth Doctor creates a copy when you cast them, so long as its the first historic spell you cast. You can use Sculpting Steel to enter as a copy of a Bobblehead, and Mirrorworks to create a token copy of artifacts that enter. Since you’ll have a lot of token copies of artifacts, you can use Worldwalker Helm to create copies of them, on top of getting some Map tokens as a nice bonus.
To help create copies of your tokens, you have a lot of options. Doppelgang can create a ton of tokens with just one cast if you have enough mana to dump into it. For the Common Good does the same, but only for one target token. It requires you to deal damage, but Donatello, Gadget Master can keep copying artifacts (token or otherwise). If you can sneak it in, you can re-use an enter-the-battlefield trigger too.
To give your Bobbleheads some extra support, you want some ways to untap them so you can use their abilities and re-use them for mana during opponents’ turns. Unstoppable Plan and Unwinding Clock untap your artifacts at the end step. You also have Forensic Gadgeteer and Tezzeret, Betrayer of Flesh discount the activated abilities of your artifacts to make it easier to activate Bobblehead effects.
A sample decklist can be viewed below. It’s rather all-in on Bobbleheads, so you’ll be having a whole battlefield of them at all times.
Planeswalkers (1)
Creatures (13)
Instants (14)
Sorceries (14)
Artifacts (19)
Enchantments (5)
Lands (34)
100 Cards
$227.78
So Many Win Conditions
Why focus on just one win condition when you can play a ton of different ones? This deck plays various cards with alternate win conditions to win in ways other than traditional combat. These include Jace, Wielder of Mysteries, Biovisionary, Laboratory Maniac, Triskaidekaphile, Twenty-Toed Toad, Epic Struggle, Helix Pinnacle, Mechanized Production, and Simic Ascendancy. Is it better to focus on just one? Absolutely. But it’s way more fun to force them all into one deck, surely one of them will work if one gets stopped!
For your commander, you have the partner pairing of Kydele, Chosen of Kruphix and Thrasios, Triton Hero. Kydele, Chosen of Kruphix is the main attraction, as the idea is to draw a bunch of cards with cards like Windfall and Pull from Tomorrow to generate a ton of mana with Kydele. With that mana, you can dump it into your various win conditions to achieve victory more quickly.
Many of your win conditions use counters, so you want ways to double them. Zimone, Paradox Sculptor and
Some of your win conditions want you to have multiple copies of permanents. To assist in reaching these win conditions, you have access to various duplication spells. Doppelgang is among the best for mass token creation. Replication Technique can be cast twice if you let an opponent copy it. Rally the Galadhrim can easily be copied thanks to conspire to copy any creature you control.
You can use various cards to untap Kydele, Chosen of Kruphix to make even more mana with it. Umbral Mantle, Staff of Domination, and Kiora's Follower all help to untap your commander to generate extra mana. This can be used to dump your mana into X spells, or effects of permanents, primarily Helix Pinnacle if that’s on the battlefield.
A sample can be viewed below. You never know what you might win with each game when there are so many ways to win!
Planeswalkers (1)
Creatures (25)
Instants (7)
Sorceries (15)
Artifacts (11)
Enchantments (7)
Lands (34)
100 Cards
$258.24
Your Deck Is My Deck
Esix, Fractal Bloom is a pretty great commander. If you look closely at its effect, you can substitute any token being created as a token of any creature on the battlefield. You also don’t need to choose one of your creatures. So, if any card makes a token, you can have it enter as whatever you want, no matter what kind of token it is. Esix, Fractal Bloom only applies to the first time you would create token(s) during your turn. So, if you can create multiple tokens with a spell or effect, use it before the others.
The best cards are ones that can create multiple tokens. Ezuri's Predation is especially strong, as you can make the 4/4 creatures it creates into any creature on the battlefield. Since they fight when they enter the battlefield, you can use this as a form of a one-sided board wipe. If you can bounce a high-mana creature, Aether Mutation can create a ton of tokens. With a creature with high stats, Scepter of Celebration creates plenty of tokens so long as it connects for damage.
With how many tokens you create, you have ways to copy all those creature tokens. Parallel Evolution copies all your creature tokens, and has flashback to get an extra use out of it. Second Harvest copies all your tokens instead of just creatures. For the Common Good can only copy one of those tokens, but it’s still useful. All of these copies can be copies of other creatures, giving you a ton of variety in options.
There are a few ways to help you with ramp. Jaheira, Friend of the Forest and Springleaf Parade turn your tokens into mana dorks, letting them tap for mana. Spell Swindle counters a spell and turns that spell into Treasure tokens for future use. Tireless Provisioner helps to generate Treasure tokens when landfall triggers, or can be used to create a creature token if need be.
To make even more creature tokens, you have token doublers to really flood the battlefield. Adrix and Nev, Twincasters and Primal Vigor both accomplish this, though the latter will also affect your opponents. Peregrin Took creates a Food token whenever you create a token, but if Esix, Fractal Bloom is being used, you can use that to double up on the create tokens being made.
A sample decklist can be viewed below. Why bother copying your own creatures when it’s way more fun to copy your opponents? Let them make the battlefield for you!
Commander
Creatures (22)
Instants (11)
Sorceries (19)
Artifacts (8)
Enchantments (6)
Lands (34)
100 Cards
$172.28
Group Hugging Auras
Ivy, Gleeful Spellthief is not a commander you look at and think “Group Hug.” So this is a Group Hug Ivy deck! Ivy, Gleeful Spellthief can copy any spell that targets one creature and have it target itself. The idea of the deck is to use your Auras to enchant your opponents’ creatures, while also putting the copies on Ivy. To make friends and allies, you spreading Auras to various creatures, while still being able to use the Auras on yourself.
You give your opponents Auras on their creatures, such as Ancestral Mask and Bear Umbra, to give them big boosts in their stats. Alternatively, can also enchant them with things like Favor of the Overbeing and Blanchwood Armor if they don’t have the colors/permanents to actually get the effects they give. You’re essentially using these Auras as incentives for others not to attack you. Since Ivy is getting enchanted by them to with the copies, it’ll usually be able to block these creatures.
Aura decks are known for running out of juice quickly, so Auras that draw when they enter are best to copy. This gives you two draws for the price of one. The best options for this are Cartouche of Knowledge, Rune of Might, and Shielding Plax. All of them are strong and help to keep your hand full of cards.
While your Auras are useful for making opponents not attack you, it’s important to give them even more reasons not to. Dictate of Karametra gives them an extra mana when they tap lands, and Dictate of Kruphix lets them draw an extra card. You can make a ton of Treasure tokens with Tempting Contract if you convince your opponents to make Treasure tokens, too.
For some extra Group Hugging, you can be very tempting by giving opponents the option of useful effects at the cost of giving you extra triggers. Collective Voyage and Minds Aglow give players the options to pool mana for ramp and card draw, respectively. Tempt with Discovery can fetch out any land, not just basic lands, making it even more enticing for your opponents to use that effect.
A sample decklist can be viewed below. Auras are usually about sticking them all on your creatures, not many are about giving them to your opponents when they’re actually beneficial ones. Since they’ll get removed if you get taken out of the game, it helps to make you the last target anyone goes for.
Commander
Creatures (13)
Instants (4)
Sorceries (10)
Artifacts (8)
Enchantments (31)
Lands (34)
100 Cards
$208.28
In Conclusion
Casual Simic decks can do a lot of silly things. Whether it’s playing archetypes in different ways or just playing specific archetypes in general, there is a lot of fun to be had. Competitive Simic decks make long-winded combo turns, but casual Simic is just doing funky stuff that other colors can struggle with.
These casual Simic decks aren’t about winning necessarily, but doing things outside the box. It’s about fun with these decklists rather than power. You can build these commanders more competitively if that’s more your scene, but casual Simic is very fun at the lower-powered tables.
