Art by Anna Podedworna
Saved commander deck
Gonti, Canny Acquisitor
Leverage evasive, low-mana creatures to reliably trigger Gonti's ability on multiple opponents every turn. Steal opposing threats, spells, and answers to scale with the power of the table while building advantage through card draw, interactive removal, and flexible theft payoffs.
Prompt: Build a Gonti, Canny Acquisitor Commander deck focused heavily on theft and playing opponents' cards. I want each game to play differently because my opponents' decks provide many of my threats and options. Emphasize effects that exile and let me cast opponents' cards, steal or copy useful permanents, use opponents' graveyards, and reliably deal combat damage to trigger Gonti. Include interaction, ramp, protection, and enough independent value that the deck still functions when Gonti is unavailable. Prioritize improvisation, decision-making, and multiplayer politics over deterministic combos. Avoid infinite combos and overly linear win conditions. Target Commander Bracket 3, with no more than 3 Game Changers. The deck should be strong and focused but not optimized for cEDH.
Commander
1 cards
Gonti, Canny Acquisitor
{2}{B}{G}{U}Legendary Creature — Aetherborn Rogue
Chosen commander for the requested strategy.
Ramp
10 cards
Fellwar Stone
{2}Artifact
Excellent ramp artifact that produces opponents' colors for casting stolen spells.
Card Draw
8 cards
Toski, Bearer of Secrets
{3}{G}Legendary Creature — Squirrel
Indestructible creature that turns evasive attacks into massive card draw.
Edric, Spymaster of Trest
{1}{G}{U}Legendary Creature — Elf Rogue
Encourages opponents to attack each other while rewarding your small attackers with card draw.
Coastal Piracy
{2}{U}{U}Enchantment
Draws cards whenever your small evasive creatures connect.
Bident of Thassa
{2}{U}{U}Legendary Enchantment Artifact
Draws cards on combat damage and forces opponents into unfavorable attacks.
Reconnaissance Mission
{2}{U}{U}Enchantment
Draws cards on combat damage with cycling flexibility.
Removal
10 cards
Assassin's Trophy
{B}{G}Instant
Versatile nonland permanent removal at instant speed.
Tear Asunder
{1}{G}Instant
Instant exile for artifact or enchantment, kickable to hit any nonland permanent.
Fierce Guardianship
{2}{U}Instant
Free noncreature counterspell while commander is out.
Feed the Swarm
{1}{B}Sorcery
Black interaction for creature or enchantment removal.
Threats/Wincons
26 cards
Changeling Outcast
{B}Creature — Shapeshifter
Cheap unblockable creature to trigger Gonti reliably early.
Slither Blade
{U}Creature — Snake Rogue
1-drop unblockable creature for consistent combat damage triggers.
Triton Shorestalker
{U}Creature — Merfolk Rogue
Evasive 1-drop that ensures early Gonti exile triggers.
Gudul Lurker
{U}Creature — Salamander
Cheap unblockable creature to safely hit opponents.
Invisible Stalker
{1}{U}Creature — Human Rogue
Hexproof unblockable creature that triggers Gonti safely.
Dimir Infiltrator
{U}{B}Creature — Spirit
Unblockable threat that can also transfigure for 2-CMC key cards.
Hypnotic Siren
{U}Enchantment Creature — Siren
Early flying attacker that can be bestowed late to steal a creature.
Thief of Sanity
{1}{U}{B}Creature — Specter
Evasive creature that steals cards on combat damage synergy with Gonti.
Nashi, Moon Sage's Scion
{1}{B}{B}Legendary Creature — Rat Ninja
Ninjutsu threat that exiles and plays cards from all players' libraries.
Hostage Taker
{2}{U}{B}Creature — Human Pirate
Exiles opposing creatures or artifacts and lets you cast them.
Xanathar, Guild Kingpin
{4}{U}{B}Legendary Creature — Beholder
Allows you to play cards continuously off the top of an opponent's deck.
Brainstealer Dragon
{5}{B}{B}Creature — Dragon Horror
Exiles cards from opponents at end step and burns them when you play non-owned cards.
Arvinox, the Mind Flail
{4}{B}{B}{B}Legendary Enchantment Creature — Horror
Exiles cards from opponents' decks and turns into a giant creature.
Dauthi Voidwalker
{B}{B}Creature — Dauthi Rogue
Shadow attacker that exiles opposing cards and casts one for free.
Agent of Treachery
{5}{U}{U}Creature — Human Rogue
Steals any permanent on entry and draws cards when controlling stolen permanents.
Gonti, Lord of Luxury
{2}{B}{B}Legendary Creature — Aetherborn Rogue
Classic theft creature that fits perfectly with the commander theme.
Wandering Archaic // Explore the Vastlands
{5}Creature — Avatar // Sorcery
Copies opposing instant and sorcery spells unless they pay extra.
Villainous Wealth
{X}{B}{G}{U}Sorcery
Massive scaling theft spell to exile and cast a huge portion of an opponent's deck.
Cunning Rhetoric
{2}{B}Enchantment
Deters attacks by exiling cards from attacking players to play later.
Mind's Dilation
{5}{U}{U}Enchantment
Exiles top cards whenever opponents cast spells and lets you play them free.
Tasha, the Witch Queen
{3}{U}{B}Legendary Planeswalker — Tasha
Planeswalker that exiles spells from graveyards and generates Demon tokens when casting stolen spells.
Animate Dead
{1}{B}Enchantment — Aura
Cheap reanimation spell that can steal any creature from any graveyard.
Reanimate
{B}Sorcery
Efficient graveyard theft card to pull the best creature in any yard.
Memory Plunder
{U/B}{U/B}{U/B}{U/B}Instant
Instant-speed cast of an instant or sorcery from an opponent's graveyard.
Inevitable Betrayal
Sorcery
Suspends to search an opponent's library and put a creature directly into play.
Bribery
{3}{U}{U}Sorcery
Searches an opponent's deck for their best creature threat and puts it onto your board.
Utility
7 cards
Siren Stormtamer
{U}Creature — Siren Pirate Wizard
1-drop flyer that doubles as spell protection for Gonti.
Swiftfoot Boots
{2}Artifact — Equipment
Haste and hexproof protection for key threats or commander.
Heroic Intervention
{1}{G}Instant
Instant-speed board protection against destruction and damage.
Whispersilk Cloak
{3}Artifact — Equipment
Gives unblockable and shroud to ensure Gonti or theft creatures connect.
Tamiyo's Safekeeping
{G}Instant
Single-target hexproof and indestructible protection spell.
Felix Five-Boots
{2}{B}{G}{U}Legendary Creature — Ooze Rogue
Doubles all combat damage triggers, doubling Gonti's exiles and combat draws.
