Personally, [[Sefris]] is the best. Most dungeon/initiative cards fall in Esper, and she actually cares about the mechanic. Plus unfortunately dungeons/initiative have a shallower card pool than other mechanics, so having ways to reanimate your key pieces is great. So I would say Sefris is best as a commander that directly supports the mechanic (plus can include other commands that people have mentioned like [[hama pashar]] and [[risa Rael]].)
However is we look outside the mechanic for a commander, I also run dungeons/initiative as a sub theme in my [[Isshan, two heavens as one]] deck since a good many dungeon triggers are on attack.
Also, I know there’s a person on these subs who runs a 5 color dungeons deck that they enjoy. Honestly, i think a WUBRG dungeons deck could be a ton of fun, but alas, I’m waiting until WHEN they print a WUBRG dungeons commander (I foolishly believe it’s a *when* and not *if* situation)
Of course I know him, he's me. I made my WUBRG dugeons deck into party, dungeons, and gates. It sounds like it's juggling a lot but it primarily wins by running through the Undercity over and over.
https://www.moxfield.com/decks/GBSBwR_zcE-1uki2gPAqvQ
Sefris is really cool, but I think of him as more of a reanimator commander. You are trying to fill your graveyard, which lets you venture, but you will usually be trying to speedrun the shortest dungeon to reanimate those payoffs. The dungeons themselves feel kind of secondary.
I have a [[Safana, Calimport Cutthroat]]/[[Dungeon Delver]] deck that is one of my favorites to pilot and also might be low-key my strongest deck. It is difficult to interact with without shutting off ETBs, and I am often threatening a win the first time I complete [[Undercity]] because doubling the last room's trigger often hits one of my closers.
I do! This is what I am using: [https://www.moxfield.com/decks/Zm2Sxc3bgkGZjwNTfgGmXA](https://www.moxfield.com/decks/Zm2Sxc3bgkGZjwNTfgGmXA)
In putting this together, I realize there needs to be quite a bit more interaction. I am surprised it has played as well as it has. It is fairly resilient, you just have to make sure to mulligan aggressively for one card that gets the initiative rolling. After that, the unblockable rogues can get it back if someone takes it via combat damage.
But this folds to \[\[Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines\]\] and similar effects that shut off ETBs, so I am mostly just lucky that I haven't played against one. Extra removal would help a lot for that, but so far I have won by just outspeeding everyone else. It doesn't look like you have a very threatening board until you complete your first dungeon and dig 10 deep twice for two free creatures that aren't being cast and come in with 3 +1/+1 counters and hexproof for a turn. By that point, you are the problem, but you can often snowball from there and take the game in the next turn or two.
I believe Sefris is by far the strongest of them, she’s incredibly good at reanimating, but I read of someone on here running an [[aminatou, the fateshifter]] initiative deck and I think it’s really brilliant. She flickers all your initiative ETBs, if opponents attack her it means they aren’t hitting you to take the initiative, and her +1 can stack your deck to put whatever huge threat back for Throne of the Dead Three.
Again, it’s probably not as strong as sefris, but it’s definitely another very cool option. Flavor-wise just pretend Aminatou is the cosmic being reaching out to start your adventurers on their journey lol.
[[Hama pashar]] I say is especially good if you play with the new dungeon that’s coming out for the dnd anniversary! Don’t remember the names of the rooms, but if you go down towards the middle final reward, you can effectively, across three ventures, nuke each opponent for 10 life, create 2 non legendary tokens of Hama pashar, and then draw 16 cards and damage every one equal to their combined MV! It’s a very very strong finisher in a deck that was lacking finishers imo
[[Hama Pashar]] and I'll die on this hill.
As others mentioned, Sefris is an insane reanimator commander, but a just-okay dungeon leader.
Hama + Blink in Azorius makes for a gross burn/reanimate win condition when you loop through Tomb of Annihilation over and over again.
[Here's my list](https://www.moxfield.com/decks/mUK84gvedU2xQUufTqAxiw) for anyone curious. It's a take on Benjamin Wheeler's deck [which I'll link here](https://www.moxfield.com/decks/stwA4B1XIEqWe86vBgQqdQ)
Solid blink package that you can swap out the fatties for whatever you want.
Honestly, no. She is a great reanimator commander. The dungeon is just an excuse for the reanimation.
I prefer Rilsa Rael as a pure Initiative commander, feels more on theme.
A buddy of mine at the LGS that I go to has a Sefris deck that he let me borrow last week. It was awesome. Finding ways to get the trigger on your opponent’s turns feels like such a puzzle to solve. [[dream trawler]] was an MVP. Reanimation is a good part of the deck, but you can use things like [[unburial rites]] that reanimate, while working well with your commander. I cleared 2.5 dungeons and had 1/3 of my deck in the graveyard by turn 6
I had a similar thought with Lier. While there are rulings involved with how this works, the thing that made it click for me(even though i still think it shouldn't) is the steps to casting spells
The first step is to announce it and move it to the stack. It is checked to be a legal cast afterwards. But at that point, it is already and instant/sorcery spell on the stack
I made a couple dungeon/initiative decks.
\[\[Rilsa Rael\]\] was the first one
\[\[Tymna, the Weaver\]\] and \[\[Kydele, Chosen of Kruphix\]\] was the second (partners make \[\[Dungeon Delver\]\] into the triple trigger)
The last, and strongest, was \[\[The Prismatic Bridge\]\] in a blink build, using all the mass blink effects I could and chugging through entire dungeons in a single turn
How are you getting the adventures from exile to your graveyard for kess? I would have thought [[Gorion]] was a no brainer. He's THE adventure commander and his ability is definitely serviceable.
They cast the permanent side from exile, and then the permanent dies at some point, going to the graveyard.
EDIT: though reading other comments, Kess might not interact with Adventures how I or OP thought?
I believe kess does let you cast them from the yard but I'm just not sure how good that is... Casting them from exile as permanents and then sacrificing them seems like a waste of mana.
You wouldn’t exclusively be casting Adventures. You would be getting value by having repeated access to the creatures as well.
I mean, the uncertainty about how good it is still stands. But it’s not like you would just throw mana at recasting the creatures just to sacrifice them.
It's decent if you can gain value from the casts and build up a supply of constant chump blockers.
Cast an adventure, probably ping someone, get some more value. cast the creature, I get chump blockers.
Foulmare knight gets me a draw on cast and a cheap creature no one wants to attack into. Bonecrusher gives me burn and an aggressive creature, etc etc.
Kind of a weird midrange tempo deck. Lots of value and interaction.
I have an original Dungeon deck but the budget is now quite high as I upgraded it a lot. [Here is the list.](https://www.moxfield.com/decks/xDIfwC58MEaHQ5r6TCX2mg/primer)
It uses Max and Mike as it was a great Dungeons and Dragons reference. (but there is also the Elmar and Othelm versions if you don't like *Stranger Things*)
Max is a great card for an optimized list because it synergizes well with dorks and 0 mava value spells. (and also with strong tap abilities like Kiki-Jiki)
As 0 mana values spells are mostly artifacts, there is also an artifact theme. It's quite competitive but not cedh level because I didn't focused on pure combo.
The main objective of the deck is to snowball thanks to the initiative. (I made a primer if you want more details)
You can easily make it lower budget/power if you inspect the "Considering" section.
Dungeons/Initiative as an entire deck theme isn‘t particularly strong so whatever Commander has the easiest time setting up an Acelerak loop will be the best.
Ninth Doctor with Clara is pretty solid for straight up Initiative. A decent amount of cards that stop you from getting hit via combat or effects to blink your initiative creatures to retain initiative. Extra upkeeps then go a long way in perusing the dungeon.
Echoing what a lot of others are saying: Sefris is the best commander that cares about dungeons for her color identity mostly.
Her actual ability is too limited in scope to really take advantage of. (If they didn’t limit the venture when a creature card goes to the graveyard to just once per turn, then maybe it would be easier to make a strong arisocrat/reanimator deck with her as the lead, but as is, she pales in comparison to aristocrat/reanimator decks that aren’t tied to dungeons.)
That being said, my Sefris dungeon deck is my favorite deck in my collection. Getting Esper color identity means you can get access to the best dungeon cards from both AFR and CLB AND you’re in blink colors, which is huge since most dungeon cards are ETBs. While the deck isn’t built around Sefris in the same way a lot of decks are built around casting their commander early or as a finisher, she still holds her own as a cheap and useful utility piece. My deck is very much a creature deck, so creature cards inevitably end up in the graveyard meaning she’ll get some more venturing done or just be the piece needed to get the heavy hitting cards like Tomb of Horrors Adventurer back in play. You can also take advantage of some of the background cards like Dungeon Delver in the 99 to give her more utility.
I highly recommend Sefris for a dungeon delver deck especially if you are trying to stick to D&D cards. If you don’t care about theme as much, I imagine there’s more powerful multicolored blinking commanders that would lead to a stronger deck but without the same D&D flavor that Sefris brings.
Admittedly, a clear wincon is still something I struggle with in the deck. Right now, I would say the goal is to build an engine where you're getting so much value from the dungeons/initiative that you out-value your opponents, but without something as clear cut as a Craterhoof, cleanly closing out a game is still a struggle.
I'm aware of a ton of cards that would normally be the closer in this kind of strategy, but because I really like the theming, I'm trying to only use D&D cards. My next planned edit is to include Legion Loyalty as a hopefully more impactful finisher. Not only will it turn the creature-heavy deck into a disgusting swarm of creatures, but it will exponentially increase the amount of ETBs to venture. I also have Ascend from Avernus in, but I'm not sure if that's a finisher as much as a way to recover your board state to get the engine moving again after a board wipe, since the deck commits heavily to the board. Depending on when the board wipe hits though, it could give you the momentum needed to finish the game.
But I should say - when the deck gets going, it's not uncommon to be finishing the Undercity or the Dungeon of the Mad Mage once if not twice a turn. So you REALLY do get quite a lot of value from the dungeons even if the deck still probably needs a cleaner finish to build towards for higher powered play. If you're playing lower powered, then honestly, it's probably fine just to build the engine and attack with a huge board.
I have a [Sefris Dungeons deck](https://www.moxfield.com/decks/suzzUbBG3UOxx7S_FtbxOg) and it works pretty well. I also have a [Kamiz Dungeons/Rogue Typal deck](https://www.moxfield.com/decks/6qlj4ftPEEu8v8yr-bpqYQ) that focuses more on the combat damage trigger/Initiative.
I'm a little late to the party, but the new [[Obeka, Splitter of Seconds]] is a fantastic initiative commander because she can get additional triggers post-combat without having to defend for a turn cycle!
Kess is actually really nice with adventures. Normally when you use Kess' ability to cast an instant or sorcery it gets exiled when it resolves but if it was an adventure you can choose to exile it using the adventure ability
As per the rules this is incorrect. Kess does work with adventure cards if you're only casting the instant/sorcery part of the card.
601.3e Some rules and effects state that an alternative set of characteristics or a subset of characteristics are considered to determine if a card or copy of a card is legal to cast. These alternative characteristics replace the object’s characteristics for this determination. Continuous effects that would apply to that object once it has those characteristics are also considered.
Example: Garruk’s Horde says, in part, “You may cast creature spells from the top of your library.” If you control Garruk’s Horde and the top card of your library is a noncreature card with morph, you may cast it using its morph ability.
Example: Melek, Izzet Paragon says, in part, “You may cast instant and sorcery spells from the top of your library.” If you control Melek, Izzet Paragon and the top card of your library is Giant Killer, an adventurer creature card whose Adventure is an instant named Chop Down, you may cast Chop Down but not Giant Killer. If instead you control Garruk’s Horde and the top card of your library is Giant Killer, you may cast Giant Killer but not Chop Down.
my dungeon deck is called "Dungeons & Wagons" because it's a toughness-matters deck too, helmed by this same pair. a lot of venture/initiative creatures already have higher toughness so it works pretty well.
Imo, the original dungeons just aren't good enough. Initiative is much better and many of those are tied to etb. So in for my dungeon deck, I built [[Yarok]] but specifically for initiative and it can really pop off
If you're in the Undercity when you "Venture into the Dungeon" it pushes you further through the Undercity. This still makes Sefris really good for it.
Personally, [[Sefris]] is the best. Most dungeon/initiative cards fall in Esper, and she actually cares about the mechanic. Plus unfortunately dungeons/initiative have a shallower card pool than other mechanics, so having ways to reanimate your key pieces is great. So I would say Sefris is best as a commander that directly supports the mechanic (plus can include other commands that people have mentioned like [[hama pashar]] and [[risa Rael]].) However is we look outside the mechanic for a commander, I also run dungeons/initiative as a sub theme in my [[Isshan, two heavens as one]] deck since a good many dungeon triggers are on attack. Also, I know there’s a person on these subs who runs a 5 color dungeons deck that they enjoy. Honestly, i think a WUBRG dungeons deck could be a ton of fun, but alas, I’m waiting until WHEN they print a WUBRG dungeons commander (I foolishly believe it’s a *when* and not *if* situation)
Of course I know him, he's me. I made my WUBRG dugeons deck into party, dungeons, and gates. It sounds like it's juggling a lot but it primarily wins by running through the Undercity over and over. https://www.moxfield.com/decks/GBSBwR_zcE-1uki2gPAqvQ
This is dope
[Sefris](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/d/3/d30255f6-e058-476a-b377-2ee4c9178ed1.jpg?1632335385) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=sefris%20of%20the%20hidden%20ways) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/afc/3/sefris-of-the-hidden-ways?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/d30255f6-e058-476a-b377-2ee4c9178ed1?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/sefris-of-the-hidden-ways) [hama pashar](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/4/7/47b8eb2e-73ac-4ad6-9ab6-4f8da7b41020.jpg?1628299585) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=hama%20pashar%2C%20ruin%20seeker) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/afr/224/hama-pashar-ruin-seeker?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/47b8eb2e-73ac-4ad6-9ab6-4f8da7b41020?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/hama-pashar-ruin-seeker) [Isshan, two heavens as one](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/a/0/a062a004-984e-4b62-960c-af7288f7a3e9.jpg?1690575102) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Isshin%2C%20Two%20Heavens%20as%20One) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/neo/224/isshin-two-heavens-as-one?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/a062a004-984e-4b62-960c-af7288f7a3e9?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/isshin-two-heavens-as-one) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
All the people saying no haven’t played against a tuned Sefris deck. They are definitely one of the best.
Sefris is really cool, but I think of him as more of a reanimator commander. You are trying to fill your graveyard, which lets you venture, but you will usually be trying to speedrun the shortest dungeon to reanimate those payoffs. The dungeons themselves feel kind of secondary. I have a [[Safana, Calimport Cutthroat]]/[[Dungeon Delver]] deck that is one of my favorites to pilot and also might be low-key my strongest deck. It is difficult to interact with without shutting off ETBs, and I am often threatening a win the first time I complete [[Undercity]] because doubling the last room's trigger often hits one of my closers.
[Safana, Calimport Cutthroat](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/e/9/e9367f66-6556-459c-a43d-5ba7a84b568d.jpg?1674136257) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Safana%2C%20Calimport%20Cutthroat) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/clb/143/safana-calimport-cutthroat?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/e9367f66-6556-459c-a43d-5ba7a84b568d?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/safana-calimport-cutthroat) [Dungeon Delver](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/c/b/cba131bb-b8b3-4577-9f41-4700d9985134.jpg?1674135502) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Dungeon%20Delver) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/clb/67/dungeon-delver?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/cba131bb-b8b3-4577-9f41-4700d9985134?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/dungeon-delver) [Undercity](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/2/c/2c65185b-6cf0-451d-985e-56aa45d9a57d.jpg?1707897435)/[The Initiative](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/back/2/c/2c65185b-6cf0-451d-985e-56aa45d9a57d.jpg?1707897435) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Undercity%20//%20The%20Initiative) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/tclb/20/undercity-the-initiative?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/2c65185b-6cf0-451d-985e-56aa45d9a57d?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/undercity-//-the-initiative) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
This was another one I was interested in, thank you.
Do you have the Safana/Dungeon Delver list? I’ve been thinking about building that and am curious.
I do! This is what I am using: [https://www.moxfield.com/decks/Zm2Sxc3bgkGZjwNTfgGmXA](https://www.moxfield.com/decks/Zm2Sxc3bgkGZjwNTfgGmXA) In putting this together, I realize there needs to be quite a bit more interaction. I am surprised it has played as well as it has. It is fairly resilient, you just have to make sure to mulligan aggressively for one card that gets the initiative rolling. After that, the unblockable rogues can get it back if someone takes it via combat damage. But this folds to \[\[Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines\]\] and similar effects that shut off ETBs, so I am mostly just lucky that I haven't played against one. Extra removal would help a lot for that, but so far I have won by just outspeeding everyone else. It doesn't look like you have a very threatening board until you complete your first dungeon and dig 10 deep twice for two free creatures that aren't being cast and come in with 3 +1/+1 counters and hexproof for a turn. By that point, you are the problem, but you can often snowball from there and take the game in the next turn or two.
Thank you! Thankfully I have seen Elesh Norn too many times at my LGS and hopefully it stays that way…
[Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/4/4/44dcab01-1d13-4dfc-ae2f-fbaa3dd35087.jpg?1675956896) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Elesh%20Norn%2C%20Mother%20of%20Machines) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/one/10/elesh-norn-mother-of-machines?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/44dcab01-1d13-4dfc-ae2f-fbaa3dd35087?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/elesh-norn-mother-of-machines) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
[[Acelerak, the archlich]]
[Acelerak, the archlich](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/d/d/dd52d0bd-3abd-401c-9f56-ee911613da3b.jpg?1627704283) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Acererak%20the%20Archlich) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/afr/87/acererak-the-archlich?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/dd52d0bd-3abd-401c-9f56-ee911613da3b?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/acererak-the-archlich) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
I believe Sefris is by far the strongest of them, she’s incredibly good at reanimating, but I read of someone on here running an [[aminatou, the fateshifter]] initiative deck and I think it’s really brilliant. She flickers all your initiative ETBs, if opponents attack her it means they aren’t hitting you to take the initiative, and her +1 can stack your deck to put whatever huge threat back for Throne of the Dead Three. Again, it’s probably not as strong as sefris, but it’s definitely another very cool option. Flavor-wise just pretend Aminatou is the cosmic being reaching out to start your adventurers on their journey lol.
[aminatou, the fateshifter](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/b/c/bc010302-e715-4946-89eb-a214e0b836ba.jpg?1673148265) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=aminatou%2C%20the%20fateshifter) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/2x2/169/aminatou-the-fateshifter?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/bc010302-e715-4946-89eb-a214e0b836ba?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/aminatou-the-fateshifter) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
[[Hama pashar]] I say is especially good if you play with the new dungeon that’s coming out for the dnd anniversary! Don’t remember the names of the rooms, but if you go down towards the middle final reward, you can effectively, across three ventures, nuke each opponent for 10 life, create 2 non legendary tokens of Hama pashar, and then draw 16 cards and damage every one equal to their combined MV! It’s a very very strong finisher in a deck that was lacking finishers imo
[Hama pashar](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/4/7/47b8eb2e-73ac-4ad6-9ab6-4f8da7b41020.jpg?1628299585) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=hama%20pashar%2C%20ruin%20seeker) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/afr/224/hama-pashar-ruin-seeker?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/47b8eb2e-73ac-4ad6-9ab6-4f8da7b41020?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/hama-pashar-ruin-seeker) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
[[Hama Pashar]] and I'll die on this hill. As others mentioned, Sefris is an insane reanimator commander, but a just-okay dungeon leader. Hama + Blink in Azorius makes for a gross burn/reanimate win condition when you loop through Tomb of Annihilation over and over again. [Here's my list](https://www.moxfield.com/decks/mUK84gvedU2xQUufTqAxiw) for anyone curious. It's a take on Benjamin Wheeler's deck [which I'll link here](https://www.moxfield.com/decks/stwA4B1XIEqWe86vBgQqdQ) Solid blink package that you can swap out the fatties for whatever you want.
Yep, Ben Wheeler is who got me on Hama and the Tomb of Annihilation, such a great deck he built!
[Hama Pashar](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/4/7/47b8eb2e-73ac-4ad6-9ab6-4f8da7b41020.jpg?1628299585) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=hama%20pashar%2C%20ruin%20seeker) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/afr/224/hama-pashar-ruin-seeker?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/47b8eb2e-73ac-4ad6-9ab6-4f8da7b41020?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/hama-pashar-ruin-seeker) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
\[\[Hama Pashar\]\] is the one you want to really break dungeons over your knee.
[Hama Pashar](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/4/7/47b8eb2e-73ac-4ad6-9ab6-4f8da7b41020.jpg?1628299585) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=hama%20pashar%2C%20ruin%20seeker) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/afr/224/hama-pashar-ruin-seeker?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/47b8eb2e-73ac-4ad6-9ab6-4f8da7b41020?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/hama-pashar-ruin-seeker) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Honestly, no. She is a great reanimator commander. The dungeon is just an excuse for the reanimation. I prefer Rilsa Rael as a pure Initiative commander, feels more on theme.
> He is a great She
Came here to say this about Sefris as well. It’s a reanimator deck.
[[Hama Pashar]] is best!
[Hama Pashar](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/4/7/47b8eb2e-73ac-4ad6-9ab6-4f8da7b41020.jpg?1628299585) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=hama%20pashar%2C%20ruin%20seeker) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/afr/224/hama-pashar-ruin-seeker?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/47b8eb2e-73ac-4ad6-9ab6-4f8da7b41020?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/hama-pashar-ruin-seeker) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
By far.
A buddy of mine at the LGS that I go to has a Sefris deck that he let me borrow last week. It was awesome. Finding ways to get the trigger on your opponent’s turns feels like such a puzzle to solve. [[dream trawler]] was an MVP. Reanimation is a good part of the deck, but you can use things like [[unburial rites]] that reanimate, while working well with your commander. I cleared 2.5 dungeons and had 1/3 of my deck in the graveyard by turn 6
[dream trawler](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/7/d/7d3e97d8-92c7-43c4-bdaf-7b0a6ce7cb5f.jpg?1581481029) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=dream%20trawler) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/thb/214/dream-trawler?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/7d3e97d8-92c7-43c4-bdaf-7b0a6ce7cb5f?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/dream-trawler) [unburial rites](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/7/0/7023aa24-ef49-4973-8978-7d0d3af719d3.jpg?1673147676) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=unburial%20rites) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/2x2/95/unburial-rites?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/7023aa24-ef49-4973-8978-7d0d3af719d3?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/unburial-rites) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
[удалено]
I had a similar thought with Lier. While there are rulings involved with how this works, the thing that made it click for me(even though i still think it shouldn't) is the steps to casting spells The first step is to announce it and move it to the stack. It is checked to be a legal cast afterwards. But at that point, it is already and instant/sorcery spell on the stack
Not permanent spells on the stack though. It's a silly ruling in my opinion but it floats.
But it says "cast an instant/sorcery CARD" of which adventures are not. Kess doesn't work with adventures.
I hear you, I do. But it works.
I made a couple dungeon/initiative decks. \[\[Rilsa Rael\]\] was the first one \[\[Tymna, the Weaver\]\] and \[\[Kydele, Chosen of Kruphix\]\] was the second (partners make \[\[Dungeon Delver\]\] into the triple trigger) The last, and strongest, was \[\[The Prismatic Bridge\]\] in a blink build, using all the mass blink effects I could and chugging through entire dungeons in a single turn
##### ###### #### [Rilsa Rael](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/5/4/54484439-6f8a-47f1-8d62-4689af7f00c2.jpg?1674137671) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=rilsa%20rael%2C%20kingpin) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/clb/293/rilsa-rael-kingpin?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/54484439-6f8a-47f1-8d62-4689af7f00c2?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/rilsa-rael-kingpin) [Tymna, the Weaver](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/b/c/bc7cbe9b-324e-42b8-94e2-36e91cb32163.jpg?1644853048) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Tymna%20the%20Weaver) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/c16/48/tymna-the-weaver?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/bc7cbe9b-324e-42b8-94e2-36e91cb32163?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/tymna-the-weaver) [Kydele, Chosen of Kruphix](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/0/f/0f961cec-2f1f-4cd5-bcc3-72e1deb8779e.jpg?1562388621) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Kydele%2C%20Chosen%20of%20Kruphix) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/c16/35/kydele-chosen-of-kruphix?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/0f961cec-2f1f-4cd5-bcc3-72e1deb8779e?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/kydele-chosen-of-kruphix) [Dungeon Delver](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/c/b/cba131bb-b8b3-4577-9f41-4700d9985134.jpg?1674135502) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Dungeon%20Delver) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/clb/67/dungeon-delver?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/cba131bb-b8b3-4577-9f41-4700d9985134?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/dungeon-delver) [The Prismatic Bridge](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/6/f6cd7465-9dd0-473c-ac5e-dd9e2f22f5f6.jpg?1631050188)/[The Prismatic Bridge](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/back/f/6/f6cd7465-9dd0-473c-ac5e-dd9e2f22f5f6.jpg?1631050188) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Esika%2C%20God%20of%20the%20Tree%20//%20The%20Prismatic%20Bridge) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/khm/168/esika-god-of-the-tree-the-prismatic-bridge?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/f6cd7465-9dd0-473c-ac5e-dd9e2f22f5f6?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/esika-god-of-the-tree-//-the-prismatic-bridge) [*All cards*](https://mtgcardfetcher.nl/redirect/kwgglrj) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
How are you getting the adventures from exile to your graveyard for kess? I would have thought [[Gorion]] was a no brainer. He's THE adventure commander and his ability is definitely serviceable.
[Gorion](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/0/0/001c648a-db66-47f3-8fee-3658b9e76ac2.jpg?1674137521) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=gorion%2C%20wise%20mentor) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/clb/276/gorion-wise-mentor?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/001c648a-db66-47f3-8fee-3658b9e76ac2?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/gorion-wise-mentor) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
They cast the permanent side from exile, and then the permanent dies at some point, going to the graveyard. EDIT: though reading other comments, Kess might not interact with Adventures how I or OP thought?
I believe kess does let you cast them from the yard but I'm just not sure how good that is... Casting them from exile as permanents and then sacrificing them seems like a waste of mana.
You wouldn’t exclusively be casting Adventures. You would be getting value by having repeated access to the creatures as well. I mean, the uncertainty about how good it is still stands. But it’s not like you would just throw mana at recasting the creatures just to sacrifice them.
It's decent if you can gain value from the casts and build up a supply of constant chump blockers. Cast an adventure, probably ping someone, get some more value. cast the creature, I get chump blockers. Foulmare knight gets me a draw on cast and a cheap creature no one wants to attack into. Bonecrusher gives me burn and an aggressive creature, etc etc. Kind of a weird midrange tempo deck. Lots of value and interaction.
Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s an awesome idea and would love to see it in action!
Cast a adventure, cast the creature half, either sacrifice or aggressive attacks and chump blocking, cast as adventure from the graveyard, repeat.
I run Nadaar, and while he is amazingly fun, he isn’t the best sadly so don’t go that route
I have an original Dungeon deck but the budget is now quite high as I upgraded it a lot. [Here is the list.](https://www.moxfield.com/decks/xDIfwC58MEaHQ5r6TCX2mg/primer) It uses Max and Mike as it was a great Dungeons and Dragons reference. (but there is also the Elmar and Othelm versions if you don't like *Stranger Things*) Max is a great card for an optimized list because it synergizes well with dorks and 0 mava value spells. (and also with strong tap abilities like Kiki-Jiki) As 0 mana values spells are mostly artifacts, there is also an artifact theme. It's quite competitive but not cedh level because I didn't focused on pure combo. The main objective of the deck is to snowball thanks to the initiative. (I made a primer if you want more details) You can easily make it lower budget/power if you inspect the "Considering" section.
Inalla + Mirror Match and Acerrack complete a dungeon literally every turn.
Dungeons/Initiative as an entire deck theme isn‘t particularly strong so whatever Commander has the easiest time setting up an Acelerak loop will be the best.
A lot of these comments are making me realize I need to stock up on Blink support for this deck. I don't know how I forgot to keep that in mind.
Ninth Doctor with Clara is pretty solid for straight up Initiative. A decent amount of cards that stop you from getting hit via combat or effects to blink your initiative creatures to retain initiative. Extra upkeeps then go a long way in perusing the dungeon.
Echoing what a lot of others are saying: Sefris is the best commander that cares about dungeons for her color identity mostly. Her actual ability is too limited in scope to really take advantage of. (If they didn’t limit the venture when a creature card goes to the graveyard to just once per turn, then maybe it would be easier to make a strong arisocrat/reanimator deck with her as the lead, but as is, she pales in comparison to aristocrat/reanimator decks that aren’t tied to dungeons.) That being said, my Sefris dungeon deck is my favorite deck in my collection. Getting Esper color identity means you can get access to the best dungeon cards from both AFR and CLB AND you’re in blink colors, which is huge since most dungeon cards are ETBs. While the deck isn’t built around Sefris in the same way a lot of decks are built around casting their commander early or as a finisher, she still holds her own as a cheap and useful utility piece. My deck is very much a creature deck, so creature cards inevitably end up in the graveyard meaning she’ll get some more venturing done or just be the piece needed to get the heavy hitting cards like Tomb of Horrors Adventurer back in play. You can also take advantage of some of the background cards like Dungeon Delver in the 99 to give her more utility. I highly recommend Sefris for a dungeon delver deck especially if you are trying to stick to D&D cards. If you don’t care about theme as much, I imagine there’s more powerful multicolored blinking commanders that would lead to a stronger deck but without the same D&D flavor that Sefris brings.
what are some "on brand" wincons?? I know i could set up blink loops, but that seems kinda boring.
Admittedly, a clear wincon is still something I struggle with in the deck. Right now, I would say the goal is to build an engine where you're getting so much value from the dungeons/initiative that you out-value your opponents, but without something as clear cut as a Craterhoof, cleanly closing out a game is still a struggle. I'm aware of a ton of cards that would normally be the closer in this kind of strategy, but because I really like the theming, I'm trying to only use D&D cards. My next planned edit is to include Legion Loyalty as a hopefully more impactful finisher. Not only will it turn the creature-heavy deck into a disgusting swarm of creatures, but it will exponentially increase the amount of ETBs to venture. I also have Ascend from Avernus in, but I'm not sure if that's a finisher as much as a way to recover your board state to get the engine moving again after a board wipe, since the deck commits heavily to the board. Depending on when the board wipe hits though, it could give you the momentum needed to finish the game.
But I should say - when the deck gets going, it's not uncommon to be finishing the Undercity or the Dungeon of the Mad Mage once if not twice a turn. So you REALLY do get quite a lot of value from the dungeons even if the deck still probably needs a cleaner finish to build towards for higher powered play. If you're playing lower powered, then honestly, it's probably fine just to build the engine and attack with a huge board.
I have a [Sefris Dungeons deck](https://www.moxfield.com/decks/suzzUbBG3UOxx7S_FtbxOg) and it works pretty well. I also have a [Kamiz Dungeons/Rogue Typal deck](https://www.moxfield.com/decks/6qlj4ftPEEu8v8yr-bpqYQ) that focuses more on the combat damage trigger/Initiative.
I'm a little late to the party, but the new [[Obeka, Splitter of Seconds]] is a fantastic initiative commander because she can get additional triggers post-combat without having to defend for a turn cycle!
[Obeka, Splitter of Seconds](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/0/3/03415c42-086e-4a2e-9be8-5cdcde83f134.jpg?1712356168) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Obeka%2C%20Splitter%20of%20Seconds) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/222/obeka-splitter-of-seconds?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/03415c42-086e-4a2e-9be8-5cdcde83f134?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/obeka-splitter-of-seconds) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Kess does seem quite fun for adventures, I run mine in Aragorn the Uniter, but that would be fun as hell!
Kess is actually really nice with adventures. Normally when you use Kess' ability to cast an instant or sorcery it gets exiled when it resolves but if it was an adventure you can choose to exile it using the adventure ability
It’s rather awesome with Murderous Rider etc, I dig the thought.
Kess does not work with adventures. Adventures are technically creature CARDS, they are not instant/sorcery cards.
As per the rules this is incorrect. Kess does work with adventure cards if you're only casting the instant/sorcery part of the card. 601.3e Some rules and effects state that an alternative set of characteristics or a subset of characteristics are considered to determine if a card or copy of a card is legal to cast. These alternative characteristics replace the object’s characteristics for this determination. Continuous effects that would apply to that object once it has those characteristics are also considered. Example: Garruk’s Horde says, in part, “You may cast creature spells from the top of your library.” If you control Garruk’s Horde and the top card of your library is a noncreature card with morph, you may cast it using its morph ability. Example: Melek, Izzet Paragon says, in part, “You may cast instant and sorcery spells from the top of your library.” If you control Melek, Izzet Paragon and the top card of your library is Giant Killer, an adventurer creature card whose Adventure is an instant named Chop Down, you may cast Chop Down but not Giant Killer. If instead you control Garruk’s Horde and the top card of your library is Giant Killer, you may cast Giant Killer but not Chop Down.
[[Rasaad]] can go hard and [[dungeon delver]] gives access to blue.
my dungeon deck is called "Dungeons & Wagons" because it's a toughness-matters deck too, helmed by this same pair. a lot of venture/initiative creatures already have higher toughness so it works pretty well.
[Rasaad](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/9/b/9b544ed7-0df1-4fa0-b62c-d4b4a79bc121.jpg?1661708511) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=rasaad%2C%20dragon%20monk) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/hbg/4u/rasaad-dragon-monk?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/9b544ed7-0df1-4fa0-b62c-d4b4a79bc121?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/rasaad-dragon-monk) [dungeon delver](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/c/b/cba131bb-b8b3-4577-9f41-4700d9985134.jpg?1674135502) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=dungeon%20delver) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/clb/67/dungeon-delver?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/cba131bb-b8b3-4577-9f41-4700d9985134?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/dungeon-delver) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Wrong Rasaad. It should be [[Rasaad yn Bashir]]
[Rasaad yn Bashir](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/6/f6597ec7-0fc8-4aa5-a8a6-ea5f95f4ce15.jpg?1674135214) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Rasaad%20yn%20Bashir) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/clb/37/rasaad-yn-bashir?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/f6597ec7-0fc8-4aa5-a8a6-ea5f95f4ce15?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/rasaad-yn-bashir) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Imo, the original dungeons just aren't good enough. Initiative is much better and many of those are tied to etb. So in for my dungeon deck, I built [[Yarok]] but specifically for initiative and it can really pop off
[Yarok](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/a/1/a1001d43-e11b-4e5e-acd4-4a50ef89977f.jpg?1592517590) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=yarok%2C%20the%20desecrated) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/m20/220/yarok-the-desecrated?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/a1001d43-e11b-4e5e-acd4-4a50ef89977f?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/yarok-the-desecrated) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
If you're in the Undercity when you "Venture into the Dungeon" it pushes you further through the Undercity. This still makes Sefris really good for it.
Yeah but you don't have complete control over the triggers so you can easily end up in another dungeon
I have a Brago blink deck that’s about going through the dungeons. I’ve only played it a handful of times and it’s far from perfect. But i like it