Energy was a dormant mechanic for many years. After its debut in Kaladesh it was unheard of for years. Cue 2024. We got 2 Commander decks, both Jeskai, focused on energy, and a Modern Horizons set where energy is heavily represented. It's always great to see mechanics get new support. It pushes the game in new directions and new resources for people to manage and use. This brings us to today's installment of Stripped Out. People have talked a lot about the power level and price of the Modern Horizons Commander decks. It seems as though everyone is very down on the Creative Energy deck, saying it's pulled in too many directions and has trouble closing out the game. This is a perfect starting point for this series.
What is Creative Energy trying to do? It makes energy for starters. New cards like Solar Transformer and old favorites like Decoction Module push the energy plan. Meanwhile, Legion Loyalty and Silverquill Lecturer make you think the deck is built around attacking and tokens. There are some good bridges like Scurry of Gremlins to make energy and tokens, then use the energy to push the tokens into combat. OK... Then there's some +1/+1 counter stuff going on with Fabricate like Angel of Invention. The backup commander also has Fabricate and lets you choose to make a token copy of a token, or proliferate. She's powerful but really needs some untapping support to make her shine, or combo off.
Since the +1/+1 counter support is lacking, and the creature token support is mixed I'm happy to move past it and let the energy shine. And shine it will. Let's look at some of the energy cards that are staying in the deck, and there's no better place to start than with the Commander. Satya, Aetherflux Genius has a stupid beanie. Aside from that, the card is very impactful. The keywords let you time his casting to when he will survive a combat. With that attack, he gets a little energy and lets you copy a key creature. This is great for creatures with ETBs, especially ones that make more energy than they cost or just have a low mana value. Amped Raptor makes energy when it enters and allows me to cast a cheap spell with that energy, a bigger one if I have more. I don't need to keep it around after the fact. Aethertide Whale has even more of an impact making 6 energy right away. A 6/4 flyer is a substantial threat on board, but I never expect a creature like that to make it a whole turn cycle.
Other creatures support the energy plan in their own way. Aethergeode Miner is a little guy, but the ability to reset the energy it gained is fun. Razorfield Ripper will work best attached to a flyer. I expect the deck will stack up a bunch of energy so its power potential deserves some type of evasion. I can't believe there's a Rhino without Trample. Aetherstorm Roc works well with both of these creatures. The fact it makes energy when a creature enters the battlefield means the Miner is a net positive even when it blinks itself. The Flying the Roc brings to the game makes it ideal for the Ripper. I would trade 2 power in the form of energy for a counter and a cleared path for the buffed up bird.
One of the cooler aspects of the deck is the combat engine and it's potential to go infinite. When people talk about the difficulty of closing out a game with this deck they clearly overlooked this interaction. It takes a bit of set up but for 8 energy I get an extra combat with Lightning Runner. It makes 2 by itself so I only need 6 more. This will shine with Satya. The commander will make 2 during combat as well. I just need to make sure I copy Lightning Runner and be sitting on at least 4 more energy to start another combat. During combat #2 my attackers will make 6 themselves and I can copy Lightning Runner again. If I have 2 energy left over that gets me a third combat. I'll enter that next combat with 3 Runners making 6 energy and Satya making the last 2. At that point, I can copy whatever I want because I will make enough energy each combat to pay for another combat. As a quick recap, Satya, Lightning Runner, and 6 energy yield infinite combats.
You can push that interaction a little further as well. Aurora Shifter can copy the Runner. If they both get through, I'll have 8 energy and can make another attack happen. How so? She transforms at the beginning of combat. Then while attacking each creature generates 2 energy. I'm halfway there. I just need to start the process with 4 other energy. If the Shifter connects, thanks to double strike, she will make 4 energy, the second half needed for a further additional combat.
There are more creatures that make energy because of combat. Blaster Hulk has the potential to get cheap fast. As in 2 red mana cheap. Once I pay for my first extra combat this becomes a 2 mana 8/8 with Haste. Another weird interaction is Bespoke Battlewagon. I almost cut it thinking 4 mana to make 2 energy was too low impact. If I happen to crew it though it has more utility with Lightning Runner as it will untap on each combat and enable me to tap it to make 2 energy, fueling future combats. If my engine is working well and I don't need its 2 energy I can save it up and draw a card. Either way, all of this works very well thanks to Akroma's Will giving my creatures Indestructible, Protection from whatever color I want to make all these extra combats more survivable.
Moving on from these shenanigans I have some other energy sources to highlight that aren't creatures. Filigree Racer makes 4 right away but more importantly, I can recur a key spell from my graveyard when it does attack. Aether Refinery and Stone Idol Generator are a bit pricey, but they do accelerate my energy production consistently. Their token production is largely incidental. There's no way I'm cutting Gonti's Aether Heart. An extra turn on its own shouldn't upset the table too much. The fact that it's Legendary keeps it from getting out of hand here. It's not your fault they put an extra turn spell in a “beginner product.”
What else is staying besides the aforementioned energy cards? A lot of Ramp spells for starters. 3 talismans, Wayfarer's Bauble, Arcane Signet. It's all staying, and more. I am cutting Sol Ring. It's just kind of boring. There's no need for auto includes in my mind. I also can ramp out a couple of lands with Wayfarer's Bauble and Solemn Simulacrum. Artifacts are fragile, lands are not. A good portion of the other non creature spells are sticking around. Tezerett's Gambit is an easy card to keep since it draws cards and makes energy. I would even consider paying 2 life to make it happen in a pinch. Austere Command and Farewell will remove troublesome permanents of my choosing. The flexibility is nice and can keep me in the fight while removing troublesome classes of permanents where my opponents have a commanding lead.
All in all I kept 48 of the 62 non lands from the deck. That's 77%. I'm impressed with how tight the energy theme was in the deck to start. A couple of tweaks and you can easily turn into the mechanic. You're not having to break the bank on the limited upgrades. With those limited slots, what did I add in? More energy of course.
Electrostatic Pummeler can close out games with a little energy and a way to increase its power even slightly. Aether Revolt is a great way to weaponize all this energy the deck makes. The Revolt clause is easy to trigger if I have Aethergeode Miner out. Speaking of the Revolt mechanic, I added in Decommission. I never expect to have to pay full price for it. And it gives a very flavorful Kaledesh feel to the deck. To get back on track with my removal spells I added in 2 very flexible cards Wear//Tear and Requisition Raid. For 3 mana, each spell allows me to target an artifact and an enchantment.
Speaking of leaving the battlefield, this strategy is a little reliant to a solid board state. I added in some spells designed to save my team. Semester's End and Cosmic Intervention will protect a whole suite of creatures. Lae'Zel's Acrobatics gives me the opportunity to double my ETBs if I roll high enough, a great way to build up energy fast. Eldrazi Displacer only hits one creature at a time but offers a great way to stack up energy and dodge targeted removal.
Blue was not holding up its end of the bargain here. I started by adding You Find The Villain's Lair. This little instant can be a Cancel if a big threat is being cast. It can also let me trade my 2 least impactful cards for 2 better options. Tune the Narrative is cheap, replaces itself, and nets me 2 energy. I knew Blue could do more though. It was in a support role and I wanted it to take a more active one. Could it support the infinite combats plan, pour out a bunch of energy, or be a huge threat on the board? Why not all 3? A clone effect could fill any of those options that I happen to need in the moment. Clever Impersonator and Phyrexian Metamorph both offer utility beyond copying just creatures. Very flexible, always impactful, and with the ability to supercharge my combo. It was such a good idea I knew Helm of the Host would make a killing in the deck for the same reasons. What better creatures could I hope to copy with the helm? It doesn't matter since I'll make a copy of it anyway.
So what does the deck look like now? Like this
Satya, Aetherflux Genius
Aethergeode Miner Professional Facebreaker Aether Revolt
Amped Raptor Burnished Hart Tune The Narrative
Aurora Shifter Tezzerett's Gambit Electrostatic Pummeler
Roil Cartographer Combustible Gearhulk Wrath of the Skies
Overclocked Electromancer Austere Command You find the Villian's Lair
Razorfield Ripper Swords to Plowshares Decommission
Whirler Virtuoso Farewell Wear//Tear
Aetherstorm Roc Akroma's Will Requisition Raid
Lightning Runner Talisman of Conviction Lae'zel's Acrobatics
Sphinx of the Revelation Talisman of Creativity Semester's End
Aethertide Whale Talisman of Progress Cosmic Intervention
Jolted Awake Coalition Relic Clever Impersonator
Glimmer of Genius Arcane Signet Phyrexian Metamorph
Localized Destruction Wayfare's Bauble Eldrazi Displacer
Confiscation Coup Hourglass of the Lost Helm of the Host
Decoction Module Midnight Clock Sevine's Reclamation
Izzet Generatorium Bespoke Battlewagon
Solar Transformer Aether Refinery
Unstable Amulet Aetherworks Marvel
Conversion Apparatus Scurry of Genius
Filigree Racer Stone Idol Generator
Gonti's Aetherheart
Temple of Enlightenment Battlefield Forge Adarkar Wastes
Shivan Reef Frostboil Snarl Furycalm Snarl
Port Town Temple of Triumph Temple of Epiphany
Prairie Stream Castle Vantress Izzet Boilerworks
Azorious Chancery Command Tower Aether Hub
Demolition Field Mystic Monastery
Plains x9 Island x5 Mountain x5
I did it again. I cut a couple of lands to free up room for more spells. 38 lands seemed excessive, especially with all the ramp. I want to be drawing more threats, not just ways to power out future threats.
I think this would be a great addition to anyone's collection. Hopefully, we'll see more energy support in the last 2 colors sooner rather than later. Until then, Jeskai having a lock on it is pretty cool and adds a bit to its identity.
The decks are all still new and you can find some deals out there. Get your singles ASAP. Go ahead and use my TCGplayer link if you plan to build your own version or if you're looking to pick up other cards along the way.
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