Art by Sam Kennedy
Commander deckU
The Caretaker
Cast modal spells and activate modal abilities on both your turn and opponents' turns to trigger dilemmas, enabling The Caretaker to steal and cast free nonland spells from opponents' libraries on every end step.
Asked for“The Caretaker 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
1The Caretaker
5ULegendary Creature — Elemental
Chosen commander for the requested strategy.
Ramp
10
Gilded Lotus
5Artifact
taps for triple blue mana to hold up multiple instant responses
Card Draw
10
Rhystic Study
2UEnchantment
consistent card advantage off opponents' spellcasting
Mystic Remora
UEnchantment
punishes opponents for casting noncreature spells early
Archmage's Charm
UUUInstant
instant modal spell offering a dilemma while drawing two cards
Mystic Confluence
3UUInstant
modal spell that lets you choose three modes to face a dilemma and draw cards
Wavebreak Hippocamp
2UEnchantment Creature — Horse Fish
rewards casting modal spells on opponents' turns
Archmage Emeritus
2UUCreature — Human Wizard
draws a card whenever you cast an instant or sorcery
Frantic Search
2UInstant
card filtering that untaps lands to keep interaction open
Removal
12
Cryptic Command
1UUUInstant
premier modal counter/bounce spell that faces a dilemma
Sublime Epiphany
4UUInstant
powerful modal spell offering multiple modes to trigger dilemma and blow out opponents
You Find the Villains' Lair
1UUInstant
modal counterspell that lets you face a dilemma on enemy turns
Fierce Guardianship
2UInstant
free protection while your commander is on the board
Swan Song
UInstant
efficient interaction against game-winning noncreature spells
Threats/Wincons
22
Talrand, Sky Summoner
2UULegendary Creature — Merfolk Wizard
creates a swarm of flying drakes from your spells
Murmuring Mystic
3UCreature — Human Wizard
generates flying bird illusion tokens off instant and sorcery casts
Haughty Djinn
1UUCreature — Djinn
reduces instant and sorcery costs while growing into a massive flyer
Hullbreaker Horror
5UUCreature — Kraken Horror
turns every instant cast on opponents' turns into repeated bounces
Nezahal, Primal Tide
5UULegendary Creature — Elder Dinosaur
resilient threat that draws cards when opponents cast noncreature spells
Jin-Gitaxias, Progress Tyrant
5UULegendary Creature — Phyrexian Praetor
copies your spells and counters opponents' first artifact, instant, or sorcery each turn
Torrential Gearhulk
4UUArtifact Creature — Construct
flashes in on an opponent's turn to recast a modal instant and trigger a dilemma
Snapcaster Mage
1UCreature — Human Wizard
gives flashback to your modal spells at instant speed
Deceiver Exarch
2UCreature — Phyrexian Cleric
flash creature with a modal ETB choice that triggers a dilemma
Pestermite
2UCreature — Faerie Rogue
flash flyer with a modal ETB choice to trigger a dilemma at instant speed
Baral, Chief of Compliance
1ULegendary Creature — Human Wizard
reduces instant and sorcery costs and loots when you counter spells
Faerie Mastermind
1UCreature — Faerie Rogue
punishes opponents' extra card draws and provides a late-game sink
Displacer Kitten
3UCreature — Cat Beast
flickers ETB modal creatures and mana rocks when casting noncreatures
Lier, Disciple of the Drowned
3UULegendary Creature — Human Wizard
allows replaying all modal spells from the graveyard
Shark Typhoon
5UEnchantment
spits out flying shark tokens from your spells or cycles at instant speed
Metallurgic Summonings
3UUEnchantment
generates construct tokens for every instant and sorcery cast
Poppet Stitcher // Poppet Factory
2UCreature — Human Wizard // Artifact
creates zombie tokens and flips into a static board buff
Kiora Bests the Sea God
5UUEnchantment — Saga
creates an 8/8 hexproof Kraken and controls opponents' boards
Venser, Shaper Savant
2UULegendary Creature — Human Wizard
flash disruption that returns any spell or permanent to its owner's hand
Glen Elendra Archmage
3UCreature — Faerie Wizard
repeatable noncreature spell counter on a stick
Thassa, Deep-Dwelling
3ULegendary Enchantment Creature — God
indestructible engine that blinks modal ETB creatures at each of your end steps
Consecrated Sphinx
4UUCreature — Sphinx
explosive card advantage engine that demands an immediate answer
Utility
8
Trading Post
4Artifact
repeatable modal activated ability that can face a dilemma on every player's turn
Staff of Domination
3Artifact
activates multiple modal choices at instant speed on any turn
Turnabout
2UUInstant
modal choice spell that can tap an opponent out or untap your lands to face a dilemma
You Come to a River
1UInstant
cheap modal instant that bounces a nonland permanent or grants unblockable
Isochron Scepter
2Artifact
imprints two-mana modal spells to face dilemmas every turn cycle
Lightning Greaves
2Artifact — Equipment
gives your commander haste and shroud protection
Swiftfoot Boots
2Artifact — Equipment
provides hexproof protection for The Caretaker
Mirage Mirror
3Artifact
versatile utility artifact that copies the best permanent on the battlefield
