Art by Randy Gallegos
Commander deckGW
McCoy, Not a Bricklayer
Build a wide board of creatures, repeatedly trigger McCoy's Doctor enter-the-battlefield ability through blink effects and changelings to distribute +1/+1 counters to your entire army, and leverage lifelink and counter synergies to overwhelm opponents.
Asked for“McCoy, Not a Bricklayer commander deck”
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
1McCoy, Not a Bricklayer
3GWLegendary Creature — Human Doctor
Chosen commander for the requested strategy.
Ramp
10
Gyre Sage
1GCreature — Elf Druid
grows with counters and taps for massive green mana
Incubation Druid
1GCreature — Elf Druid
taps for three mana once McCoy gives it a counter
Card Draw
10
Toski, Bearer of Secrets
3GLegendary Creature — Squirrel
draws cards when modified lifelink creatures connect
Shamanic Revelation
3GGSorcery
burst draw and massive lifegain across a wide board
Welcoming Vampire
2WCreature — Vampire
steady card advantage from low-power creatures entering
Mentor of the Meek
2WCreature — Human Soldier
converts small creature ETBs into card draw
Dawn of Hope
1WEnchantment
draws cards whenever your lifelink creatures deal damage
Esper Sentinel
WArtifact Creature — Human Soldier
early taxing card draw that scales with +1/+1 counters
Armorcraft Judge
3GCreature — Elf Artificer
burst card draw based on creatures with counters
Removal
10
Aura Shards
1GWEnchantment
repeatable artifact and enchantment destruction on creature ETB
Cleansing Nova
3WWSorcery
flexible board wipe for creatures or artifacts/enchantments
Tragic Arrogance
3WWSorcery
asymmetric wipe that lets you keep your best modified threats
Dismantling Wave
2WSorcery
wipes problem artifacts and enchantments from all opponents
Threats/Wincons
24
Conclave Mentor
GWCreature — Centaur Cleric
increases counters placed and gains life when it dies
Kami of Whispered Hopes
2GCreature — Spirit
counter doubler and enormous mana engine
Ozolith, the Shattered Spire
1GLegendary Artifact
boosts counters placed and can add counters directly
The Ozolith
1Legendary Artifact
preserves counters across board wipes and removal
Sovereign Okinec Ahau
2GWLegendary Creature — Cat Noble
doubles base-power buffs on attacking modified creatures
Managorger Hydra
2GCreature — Hydra
snowballs rapidly with counters and tramples with lifelink
Mikaeus, the Lunarch
XWLegendary Creature — Human Cleric
flexible counters distributor and go-wide pump
Kutzil, Malamet Exemplar
1GWLegendary Creature — Cat Warrior
protects your turn and draws cards off modified attackers
Shalai, Voice of Plenty
3WLegendary Creature — Angel
gives your team hexproof and pumps with counters
Archangel of Thune
3WWCreature — Angel
chains counters across the team off McCoy's lifelink
Heliod, Sun-Crowned
2WLegendary Enchantment Creature — God
rewards lifelink hits with more +1/+1 counters
Mirror Entity
2WCreature — Shapeshifter
changeling Doctor that triggers McCoy and acts as an overrun
Realmwalker
2GCreature — Shapeshifter
changeling Doctor that lets you cast creatures from your library
Felidar Retreat
3WEnchantment
generates wide tokens or distributes team counters on landfall
Scute Swarm
2GCreature — Insect
rapidly creates wide armies to receive McCoy's counters
Adeline, Resplendent Cathar
1WWLegendary Creature — Human Knight
generates tokens each combat to maximize team counters
Cathars' Crusade
3WWEnchantment
exponentially grows the team whenever any creature enters
Hamza, Guardian of Arashin
4GWLegendary Creature — Elephant Warrior
reduces casting cost of all creature spells for each counter
Kodama of the West Tree
2GLegendary Creature — Spirit
gives modified creatures trample and ramps on combat damage
Evolution Sage
2GCreature — Elf Druid
proliferates counters across your entire board each landfall
Forgotten Ancient
3GCreature — Elemental
hoards counters from opponent casts and moves them to your army
Basri's Lieutenant
3WCreature — Human Knight
board wipe insurance leaving behind Knight tokens
Champion of Lambholt
1GGCreature — Human Warrior
makes your entire modified army unblockable
Utility
8
Teferi's Protection
2WInstant
complete phase-out protection against devastating sweepers
Lightning Greaves
2Artifact — Equipment
free equip shroud and haste for key creatures
Teleportation Circle
3WEnchantment
flickers McCoy each end step to re-trigger his anthem
Conjurer's Closet
5Artifact
repeatable end-step blink to trigger Doctor ETB counters
