Art by Even Amundsen
Commander deckGUW
Arcades, the Strategist
Straighten out your board's posture with sturdy defenders that stand tall and attack with their colossal backbones and toughness. Arcades keeps your hand full while transforming high-toughness walls into lethal combat powerhouses.
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Deck anatomy
What this list actually runs on: how cheaply it casts things, and whether it has enough ramp, card draw and interaction to keep up at the table. Each block is one card — hover for its name.
Mana curve · 62 nonland cards
The working parts
Counted from Scryfall’s community card tags, not from the builder’s own labels. A card that does two jobs counts twice, so these add up to more than the deck. The hatched band is a common rule of thumb, not a law — combo decks run leaner, battlecruiser decks heavier.
Colored mana symbols
Commander
1Arcades, the Strategist
1GWULegendary Creature — Elder Dragon
Chosen commander for the requested strategy.
Ramp
10
Overgrown Battlement
1GCreature — Wall
taps for huge amounts of green mana based on defenders
Axebane Guardian
2GCreature — Human Druid
taps for mana of any color equal to defenders controlled
Card Draw
9
Wall of Blossoms
1GCreature — Plant Wall
cantrips on entry while triggering Arcades draw
Wall of Omens
1WCreature — Wall
efficient cantrip wall that doubles Arcades triggers
Jeskai Barricade
1WCreature — Wall
bounces a defender to recast for repeated Arcades card draw
Mentor of the Meek
2WCreature — Human Soldier
draws cards from low power creature entries
Rishkar's Expertise
4GGSorcery
draws massive cards based on high toughness and casts a free spell
The Great Henge
7GGLegendary Artifact
ramp, life gain, and extra card draw on creature ETB
Removal
10
Dovin's Veto
WUInstant
uncounterable protection against board wipes and game-winners
Slaughter the Strong
1WWSorcery
one-sided board wipe sparing your low-power defenders
Fell the Mighty
4WSorcery
asymmetrical board wipe keyed off your low-power creatures
Dusk // Dawn
2WW // 3WWSorcery // Sorcery
destroys high-power threats and recurs your defenders later
Wave of Reckoning
4WSorcery
forces creatures to deal damage to themselves, sparing high-toughness walls
Threats/Wincons
25
High Alert
1WUEnchantment
backup Arcades effect allowing defenders to attack with toughness
Assault Formation
1GEnchantment
redundant butt-fight enabler and team toughness pump
Towering Titan
4GGCreature — Giant
massive trampling threat fueled by your defender army
Charix, the Raging Isle
2UULegendary Creature — Leviathan Crab
gigantic 0/17 body hits for seventeen damage with Arcades
Wall of Denial
1WUCreature — Wall
shroud and flying make this an untouchable 8/8 attacker
Shield Sphere
0Artifact Creature — Wall
zero-mana 0/6 that draws a card and attacks for six
Perimeter Captain
WCreature — Human Soldier
cheap one-drop defender that generates massive lifegain
Stalwart Shield-Bearers
1WCreature — Human Soldier
anthems the toughness of all other defenders you control
Hover Barrier
2UCreature — Illusion Wall
cheap flying defender that hits for six in the air
Crashing Drawbridge
2Artifact Creature — Wall
grants haste to the entire team of defenders
Sunscape Familiar
1WCreature — Wall
reduces casting costs of Green and Blue spells while providing a wall body
Wall of Stolen Identity
3UCreature — Shapeshifter Wall
copies an opponent's best creature while keeping defender synergy
Wall of Tanglecord
2Artifact Creature — Wall
inexpensive 0/6 blocker with reach capabilities
Tetsuko Umezawa, Fugitive
1ULegendary Creature — Human Rogue
makes almost your entire army unblockable
Tree of Redemption
3GCreature — Plant
massive 0/13 body that can reset your life total to thirteen
Weathered Sentinels
3Artifact Creature — Wall
vigilant trampler that grows stronger when opponents attack
Riptide Turtle
1UCreature — Turtle
flash and deathtouch surprise attacker with five toughness
Resolute Watchdog
WCreature — Dog
early defender that sacrifices to protect your commander
Mnemonic Wall
4UCreature — Wall
recurs critical instants and sorceries from the graveyard
Secret Door
UArtifact Creature — Wall
early defender with repeatable dungeon venturing mana sink
Orator of Ojutai
1WCreature — Bird Monk
flying defender that cantrips when your dragon commander is revealed
Wall of Frost
1UUCreature — Wall
massive seven-toughness wall that freezes attackers
Flumph
1WCreature — Jellyfish
flying defender that draws cards whenever it takes combat damage
Utility
8
Heroic Intervention
1GInstant
protects your entire posture-correcting board from sweepers
Eerie Interlude
2WInstant
dodges board wipes and re-triggers every defender's draw ability
Lightning Greaves
2Artifact — Equipment
protects Arcades with shroud and grants haste
Stoneskin
2WEnchantment — Aura
flash aura giving massive +0/+10 power boost in combat
Bar the Door
2WInstant
instant team pump that translates into +4 power to all attackers
Tower Defense
1GInstant
devastating blowout combat trick giving +0/+5 and reach to all creatures
