Introduction
The Commander format of Magic: The Gathering thrives on creativity, synergy, and, perhaps most importantly, flavor. And what could be more flavorful than literally building a deck around… food? The rise of Food as a legitimate archetype in Commander has been surprisingly delicious, offering players a unique blend of life gain, artifact synergy, and combo potential. Remember that time your opponent scooped because they couldn’t handle another Gingerbrute sacrifice? That’s the power of a well-crafted food commander deck.
But what exactly are Food tokens? For those unfamiliar, a Food token is an artifact token with the ability “Sacrifice this artifact: You gain three life.” Seemingly simple, these tokens are the building blocks for a surprisingly resilient and versatile strategy. This isn’t just about gaining life; it’s about resource management, sacrifice outlets, and leveraging the power of artifacts to overwhelm your opponents.
So, why choose Food in Commander? The reasons are numerous. Food provides a steady stream of life gain, allowing you to outlast aggressive decks and navigate attrition-based matchups. The artifact nature of Food tokens unlocks powerful synergies with artifact-centric cards. And, let’s be honest, the theme is just plain fun! Who wouldn’t want to build a deck based around the culinary arts of the multiverse?
This article aims to be your comprehensive guide to building a delicious food commander deck. We’ll explore various Commander options, delve into key cards and synergies, discuss deck-building considerations, and provide an example decklist to get you started on your culinary conquest. So, grab your apron, sharpen your knives, and let’s cook up a winning strategy!
Commander Options: The Head Chefs
Choosing the right Commander is crucial for any deck, and Food is no exception. Several Commanders can effectively lead a Food-themed army, each offering a unique approach to the strategy.
Gyome, Master Chef
Gyome, Master Chef, often found at the head of Boros or Mono-Red decks, is a prominent figure in the food commander deck scene. His ability to generate Food tokens whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control is invaluable. He offers direct damage potential based on the number of artifacts you control.
The benefit of this commander is the raw amount of food tokens it can make. You can easily make food with creatures like Golden Goose or Gingerbrute that can make food while also triggering Gyome’s effect. This is an amazing card for generating food tokens.
The downside is that it’s very reliant on creatures, so board wipes can be detrimental. Also, since it’s usually in red or white colors, you don’t get a lot of options for card draw.
The overall strategy should be to go wide with creatures, and use sacrifice outlets to generate value.
Othelm, Sigardian Outcast and Falco Spara, Pactweaver
This duo in the Abzan or Bant colors provides unique and synergistic interactions that make them a formidable force. Othelm’s ability to empower smaller creatures synergizes well with the counters placed by Falco Spara, allowing for unexpected combat victories and strategic board control.
The benefit of this commander is it can use food tokens and counters to fuel the deck. It can be strong once it gets a few food and counters on the table.
The cons is it’s reliant on having food on the table and counters on the commander to draw.
The overall strategy should focus on generating food, counters, and drawing cards to fuel the strategy.
Asmoranomardicadaistinaculdacar
This mouthful of a name belongs to a powerful Mono-Black or Rakdos commander that thrives on sacrificing Food tokens. Asmoranomardicadaistinaculdacar, shortened to Asmor for sanity’s sake, can deal significant damage and control the board with its unique ability. She synergizes perfectly with the Underworld Cookbook, creating a self-sufficient engine of card draw and destruction.
A massive benefit of this commander is with Food sacrifice, you can get good card draw, and dish out direct damage to creatures to control the board.
One big con is that she requires a specific setup and support to be truly effective. She’s also fragile without her engine and easily removed.
The strategy with Asmor is to generate Food tokens and use her ability to control the board, drawing cards and eliminating threats.
Other Potential Commanders
While the Commanders above are the most popular choices, several other options can be adapted to a Food theme. For instance, Prosper Tome-Bound could be tweaked to focus on Treasure tokens and incidental Food production. However, these Commanders often require a more unconventional approach and may not be as directly synergistic with the core Food strategy. They might be less common for a reason.
Key Cards and Synergies
The success of any Food deck hinges on the right combination of cards working together. Let’s explore some of the key ingredients for a winning recipe.
Food Token Generators
The foundation of any Food deck is a reliable source of Food tokens. These cards ensure you always have access to life gain and fuel for your sacrifice outlets.
- Gingerbrute: An early game threat that also generates Food.
- Golden Goose: A mana dork that produces Food.
- The Underworld Cookbook: A repeatable Food generator and card filter.
- Savvy Hunter: Creates Food whenever you gain life.
- Witch’s Oven: Sacrifices creatures for Food, creating a recurring threat with creatures like Cauldron Familiar.
- Trail of Crumbs: Provides card draw based on Food sacrifice.
- Academy Manufactor: Turns any token generation into Food, Treasure, and Clue tokens, maximizing value.
These cards work best when you can trigger their abilities passively or in response to your opponents’ actions, generating a steady stream of Food without requiring significant investment.
Sacrifice Outlets
Sacrificing Food tokens for life gain is useful, but the real power comes from cards that benefit directly from the sacrifice. These outlets turn your life gain into offensive pressure and board control.
- Asmoranomardicadaistinaculdacar: As mentioned before, a key enabler for the deck, dealing damage and controlling creatures when you discard the cookbook.
- Mayhem Devil: Deals damage to any target whenever you sacrifice an artifact, turning Food into a potent removal tool.
- Korvold, Fae-Cursed King: Grows larger and draws cards whenever you sacrifice a permanent, including Food.
- Disciple of the Vault: Drains opponents whenever an artifact is sacrificed, providing a steady source of damage.
These cards transform the simple act of sacrificing Food into a significant advantage, allowing you to control the board, pressure your opponents, and close out games.
Support and Value Pieces
Beyond the core Food engine, certain cards enhance the strategy and provide additional value, boosting your deck’s overall power and resilience.
- Peregrin Took: This hobbit draws cards when you make food tokens, perfect for any food deck.
- Urza, Lord Protector: Provides card draw for the deck.
- Third Path Iconoclast: Create token copies of your spells when you cast a noncreature spell.
- Anointed Procession, Parallel Lives, Doubling Season: Double your tokens when you create one.
These cards multiply your Food production, provide card advantage, and offer various other benefits, maximizing the effectiveness of your strategy.
Utility Cards
No Commander deck is complete without a solid suite of utility cards, providing ramp, draw, removal, and protection.
- Ramp: Mana rocks like Arcane Signet and Sol Ring, as well as ramp spells tailored to your colors, help you accelerate your game plan.
- Card Draw: Efficient draw spells like Painful Truths or Wheel of Fortune keep your hand full and ensure you don’t run out of steam.
- Removal: Board wipes like Wrath of God and targeted removal like Swords to Plowshares help control the board and eliminate threats.
- Protection: Cards like Swiftfoot Boots and Lightning Greaves protect your Commander and key engine pieces from removal.
The specific utility cards you choose will depend on your Commander’s colors and your overall strategy.
Deck-Building Considerations
Building a successful Food deck requires careful attention to several key factors.
- Mana Base: A stable and efficient mana base is crucial for casting your spells consistently. Invest in dual lands and mana fixing spells to ensure you have the colors you need when you need them.
- Ramp: Early ramp is essential for getting your Food engine running quickly. Prioritize mana rocks and ramp spells that can accelerate your mana production in the early game.
- Card Draw: Maintaining card advantage is crucial for sustaining your Food strategy. Include draw spells that synergize with Food sacrifice or provide a steady stream of cards.
- Removal: Control the board and eliminate threats with a balanced suite of removal spells. Consider removal that synergizes with the Food theme, such as cards that exile artifacts or deal damage based on artifact counts.
- Protection: Protect your Commander and key engine pieces from removal with protection spells and equipment.
- Win Conditions: Determine how you plan to close out games. Will you overwhelm your opponents with tokens, deal direct damage with sacrifice outlets, or use a combo finish?
Example Decklist (Gyome, Master Chef)
(Note: This is a sample list, adjust based on your budget and local meta)
- Commander: Gyome, Master Chef
- Creatures: Gingerbrute, Golden Goose, Cauldron Familiar, Academy Manufactor, Peregrin Took, Dockside Extortionist.
- Artifacts: The Underworld Cookbook, Witch’s Oven, Sol Ring, Arcane Signet.
- Enchantments: Anointed Procession, Parallel Lives, Trail of Crumbs
- Instants: Swords to Plowshares, Lightning Bolt, Chaos Warp, Deflecting Swat
- Sorceries: Wrath of God, Wheel of Fortune
- Lands: (A mix of basics, dual lands, and utility lands like Command Tower)
This deck focuses on generating Food tokens with Gyome and other key cards, then using sacrifice outlets like Mayhem Devil to deal damage and control the board. The token doublers amplify your Food production, and the utility cards provide ramp, draw, and removal.
Strengths and Weaknesses of Food Decks
Like any strategy, Food decks have their strengths and weaknesses.
- Strengths:
- Resilience: The life gain from Food makes you difficult to kill.
- Combo Potential: Synergies between Food generators and sacrifice outlets can lead to powerful combos.
- Artifact Synergy: The deck benefits from and leverages many powerful artifact synergies.
- Fun and Flavorful: The Food theme is unique and enjoyable.
- Weaknesses:
- Artifact Hate: Vulnerable to cards that destroy or exile artifacts.
- Slow Start: Can be slow to develop the engine in the early game.
- Overwhelmed: May struggle against decks that quickly flood the board with creatures.
- Reliance: Reliant on drawing and assembling key pieces to function optimally.
Conclusion
Building a food commander deck offers a unique and rewarding experience in Magic: The Gathering. These decks are resilient, synergistic, and, above all, incredibly fun to play. From the life-gaining sustenance of simple tokens to the explosive potential of sacrifice-based combos, Food decks provide a surprising amount of depth and strategic flexibility.
Remember to experiment with different Commanders, cards, and strategies to find what works best for your play style and local meta. The possibilities are endless, and the only limit is your culinary imagination. So, get brewing, get building, and get ready to feast your eyes on the delicious power of Food in Commander!
Now, share your Food deck ideas in the comments below! What’s your favorite Food Commander, and what are some of the most surprising interactions you’ve discovered? Let’s build a community of culinary Commander connoisseurs!
Ultimately, mastering Food Commander is about more than just gaining life; it’s about crafting a deck that is as flavorful and satisfying as a perfectly cooked meal.
