Spoils of the Skyraider

Prossh dominates the Kher region of Dominaria. Each day at dawn, he takes to the skies, tracking his prey and monitoring the lands he claims as his own. The sound of dragon wings in the distance sends many of his subjects into a panic, scrambling for shelter that can withstand his dragon fire. He levels entire villages just to punish a single hunter who strayed into his territory. Those who don't pay tribute to him are burned alive. Prossh is worshipped by the kobolds of the region, and some offer themselves to His Mighty Overlordship in hopes that he spares their kin. Prossh is a predatory machine, and the death of his "allies" just makes him stronger.

When the Commander 2013 decks came out, I knew Prossh, Skyraider of Kher would be one of the new strong contenders in the Duel Commander meta game. Although Derevi, Empyrial Tactician and Oloro, Ageless Ascetic could potentially break the format, they also had the potential to be banned. Still, I felt Prossh can go head to head with these and the other heavyweights in the format. And it seems that that initial assessment was to be right.

You'll Like The Deck If...
You like the potential for big mana.
You like the potential for big card draws.
You go for a midrange play style.
You have a thing for 0/1 Kobold Minions.

You Won't Like The Deck If...
You're not into Jund.
You don't like a cluttered battlefield.
You're into pure Aggro/Control/Combo strategies.

Deck Deconstruction
Prossh, Skyraider of Kher doesn't look much of a serious threat at first glance. A 5/5 flier at 6 mana is quite balanced but hardly menacing. The true powerhouse on this card are the 0/1 Kobold Minions you get each time Prossh is cast. With the right cards and in the colors that support them, those Minions provide you some of the most powerful effects you can get in Magic.

Cards like Skullclamp and Fecundity provide an effective card draw engine. Gaea's Cradle, Phyrexian Tower, and Xenagos, the Reveler then supply you large amounts of mana you can use with the new cards you just drew.

There is also an inevitability with the deck as you strive to control the flow of the game while throwing out threat after threat at your opponent. Eventually, you will gain the upper hand if you play smartly and then smoothly cruise yourself all the way to a victory.

Spoils of the Skyraider
Format: Duel Commander
Commander: Prossh, Skyraider of Kher
Artifacts [6]
Coalition Relic
Golgari Signet
Sensei's Divining Top
Skullclamp
Talisman of Impulse
Talisman of Indulgence

Creatures [21]
Acidic Slime
Birds of Paradise
Blood Artist
Courser of Kruphix
Deathrite Shaman
Dryad Arbor {Creature Land - Forest}
Elvish Mystic
Eternal Witness
Fyndhorn Elves
Purphoros, God of the Forge {God / Indestructible}
Llanowar Elves
Lotus Cobra {Landfall}
Primeval Titan
Reclamation Sage
Rune-Scarred Demon
Sakura-Tribe Elder
Scavenging Ooze
Sylvan Primordial
Sylvan Ranger
Wood Elves
Xenagos, God of Revels {God / Indestructible}

Enchantments [6]
Fecundity
Goblin Bombardment
Phyrexian Arena
Recurring Nightmare
Survival of the Fittest
Sylvan Library

Instants [11]
Abrupt Decay
Beast Within
Crop Rotation
Diabolic Edict
Fire Covenant
Hero's Downfall
Hit // Run
Kolaghan's Command
Skeletal Scrying
Tainted Pact
Terminate

Planeswalkers [5]
Garruk Wildspeaker
Karn Liberated
Liliana of the Veil
Sarkhan Vol
Xenagos, the Reveler

Sorceries [13]
Beseech the Queen
Damnation
Demonic Tutor
Duress
Green Sun's Zenith
Hymn to Tourach
Inquisition of Kozilek
Night's Whisper
Read the Bones {Scry 2}
Rolling Earthquake
Thoughtsieze
Toxic Deluge
Yawgmoth's Will

Lands [36]
Arid Mesa
Badlands {Mountain Swamp}
Bayou {Forest Swamp}
Blood Crypt {Mountain Swamp}
Bloodstained Mire
Bojuka Bog
Cavern of Souls
Command Tower
Gaea's Cradle
Homeward Path
Kessig Wolf Run
Llanowar Waste
Mana Confluence
Marsh Flats
Misty Rainforest
Overgrown Tomb {Forest Swamp}
Polluted Delta
Phyrexian Tower
Rootbound Crag
Scalding Tarn
Stomping Ground {Forest Mountain}
Taiga {Forest Mountain}
Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
Verdant Catacombs
Wasteland
Windswept Heath
Wooded Foothills
Woodland Cemetery

Forests - 3
Mountain - 1
Swamps - 2

Snow-Covered Forest - 1
Snow-Covered Swamp - 1

Annotations
Notes: 11:00 PM 12/13/2014 [ 8th Place - Southern Bivouac @ Madcap Gaming ]
Notes: 11:00 PM 12/13/2014 [ French Banned List Update ]
Notes: 08:00 PM 03/23/2015 [ + Sensei's Divining Top / - Food Chain ]
Notes: 08:00 PM 03/27/2015 [ + Kolaghan's Command / - Rakdos's Return ]
Notes: 11:00 PM 06/20/2015 [ 5th Place - Philippines Duel Commander Super Series 3rd Leg ]


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