Art by Kieran Yanner
Commander deckBGRUW
Kenrith, the Returned King
Erect an impenetrable fortress of high-toughness walls and pillowfort tax effects that force opponents into a grueling siege, while your elite battalion of knights and King Kenrith command the battlefield and strike back with lethal force.
Asked for“I would like a deck that resembles a castle, a whole bunch of walls and a whole bunch of nights defending that castle. The theme should be that if you are attacking me, you were going to have to siege you’re gonna need a whole bunch of creature swinging at me to get through the defenses and if you do, you got a whole bunch of nights ready to take you out it should be about getting my walls, built quick and defending my commander, preferably a king”
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
1Kenrith, the Returned King
4WLegendary Creature — Human Noble
Chosen commander for the requested strategy.
Ramp
10
Overgrown Battlement
1GCreature — Wall
Wall that taps for massive green mana based on defender count
Axebane Guardian
2GCreature — Human Druid
Defender that taps for mana of any color based on defender count
Kodama's Reach
2GSorcery — Arcane
Ensures consistent land drops to build castle defenses
Knight of the White Orchid
WWCreature — Human Knight
Knight that fetches Plains to keep pace with opponents
Chromatic Lantern
3Artifact
Perfect mana fixing to activate all of Kenrith's royal abilities
Birds of Paradise
GCreature — Bird
Versatile one-drop mana producer for five colors
Card Draw
10
Wall of Omens
1WCreature — Wall
Early wall that replaces itself by drawing a card
Wall of Blossoms
1GCreature — Plant Wall
Sturdy green defender that draws a card on entry
Carven Caryatid
1GGCreature — Spirit
Resilient defender that cantrips upon entering the battlefield
Arcades, the Strategist
1GWULegendary Creature — Elder Dragon
Draws cards whenever defenders enter and turns walls into lethal attackers
Acclaimed Contender
2WCreature — Human Knight
Digs for knights, enchantments, and equipment among your ranks
Midnight Reaper
2BCreature — Zombie Knight
Draws cards whenever defending knights fall in combat
Sylvan Library
1GEnchantment
Consistent topdeck selection and extra card velocity
Esper Sentinel
WArtifact Creature — Human Soldier
Elite soldier that taxes opposing noncreature spells with card draw
Beast Whisperer
2GGCreature — Elf Druid
Keeps hands full as you summon walls and knights
Removal
10
Beast Within
2GInstant
Flexible answer to any problematic permanent threatening the kingdom
Assassin's Trophy
BGInstant
Unconditional removal for opposing siege engines and permanents
Cavalier of Dawn
2WWWCreature — Elemental Knight
Noble knight that destroys any nonland permanent on entry
Aryel, Knight of Windgrace
2WBLegendary Creature — Human Knight
Creates knight tokens and taps them to execute invading threats
Supreme Verdict
1WWUSorcery
Uncounterable board wipe to clear away opposing siege armies
Slaughter the Strong
1WWSorcery
Wipes high-power attackers while leaving your high-toughness walls untouched
Fell the Mighty
4WSorcery
Board wipe based on low power that spares your castle defenders
Threats/Wincons
24
Knight Exemplar
1WWCreature — Human Knight
Lord that grants your knight garrison +1/+1 and indestructible
Kinsbaile Cavalier
3WCreature — Kithkin Knight
Grants double strike to your entire knight order
Worthy Knight
1WCreature — Human Knight
Generates a squire army whenever knights are cast
Silverwing Squadron
5WCreature — Human Knight
Flies above the walls with power and toughness scaling with your army
Cavalier of Thorns
2GGGCreature — Elemental Knight
Massive knight that ramps, blocks flyers, and recurs fallen cards
Cavalier of Gales
2UUUCreature — Elemental Knight
Flying knight that provides Brainstorm card selection on entry
Vona, Butcher of Magan
3WBLegendary Creature — Vampire Knight
Vigilant knight capable of repeatedly destroying enemy permanents
Danitha Capashen, Paragon
2WLegendary Creature — Human Knight
First strike, lifelink, and vigilance knight defending the gates
Knight of Autumn
1GWCreature — Dryad Knight
Versatile knight that can blow up siege artifacts, gain life, or grow
High Alert
1WUEnchantment
Allows walls to attack and deal combat damage using toughness
Assault Formation
1GEnchantment
Enables all castle walls to strike invaders with their toughness
Tower Defense
1GInstant
Massive instant-speed toughness boost that doubles as a lethal counterattack
Charix, the Raging Isle
2UULegendary Creature — Leviathan Crab
Colossal seventeen-toughness defender resembling living ramparts
Wall of Denial
1WUCreature — Wall
Shrouded eight-toughness flying wall that halts any airborne assault
Stalwart Shield-Bearers
1WCreature — Human Soldier
Two-mana defender that bolsters toughness across your defensive line
Shield Sphere
0Artifact Creature — Wall
Free zero-mana wall to instantly fortify the castle gate
Perimeter Captain
WCreature — Human Soldier
Gains huge amounts of life whenever your walls block enemy attackers
Sunscape Familiar
1WCreature — Wall
Wall that discounts your defensive white and green spells
Weathered Sentinels
3Artifact Creature — Wall
Vigilant construct that grows and tramples when enemies attack elsewhere
Walking Bulwark
1Artifact Creature — Golem
Gives walls haste and the ability to strike using their toughness
Tetsuko Umezawa, Fugitive
1ULegendary Creature — Human Rogue
Makes low-power walls and knights completely unblockable
The Council of Four
3WULegendary Creature — Human Noble
Generates knight tokens and draws cards in response to opponents' plays
Tree of Redemption
3GCreature — Plant
Thirteen-toughness wall that can reset your life total when under heavy siege
Hover Barrier
2UCreature — Illusion Wall
High-toughness flying wall that blocks incoming aerial attackers
Utility
8
Ghostly Prison
2WEnchantment
Forces opponents to pay mana for every creature attempting to siege your castle
Propaganda
2UEnchantment
Deters wide swarms by taxing each attacker directed at you
Sphere of Safety
4WEnchantment
Demands crippling siege taxes based on your enchantments
Crawlspace
3Artifact
Bottlenecks attackers so no more than two creatures can attack you at once
Silent Arbiter
4Artifact Creature — Construct
Forces single combat so invading armies cannot breach the gates together
Baird, Steward of Argive
2WWLegendary Creature — Human Soldier
Castle steward who imposes extra taxes on attacking creatures
Norn's Annex
3WPWPArtifact
Extracts life or white mana from any army attempting to assault you
Heroic Intervention
1GInstant
Provides indestructible and hexproof to protect your walls and king from destruction
