One man and his Pod // Pako and Haldan EDH // Birthing Pod (EDH / Commander) [Révision 62]

DogPod: A Temur Birthing Pod deck helmed by Temur's strongest(?) commander pairing.

Below is a write-up of one of my favourite EDH decks. This list is crazy fun, very powerful at casual tables, and allows for some really interesting games.

Tl;Dr: Pako and Haldan are strong, and so is Birthing Pod. This deck is super fun and I'd recommend giving it a whirl or trying something similar if you like active decision-making while playing EDH.

Why Pod?

I've been playing EDH for around 2 years now, and I've put together somewhere between 10 and 14 decks over this time. Among these decks, I have some I have barely touched since that initial golden period immediately following building and sleeving-up. These decks tend to be those that offer little variability between games, or do not allow for much proactive decision-making. I've come to realise that what I love as a magic player is what I term agency: being able to actively choose from a range of possible lines of play what I believe to be the most appropriate for a given situation. In stark contrast to my barely-touched decks, those which have garnered my attention more actively and intensely (both in terms of continued list-tweaking and continued play) are those which offer variability and, crucially, agency. Take my Grixis spellslinger/storm deck for example (https://deckstats.net/decks/126763/1416834-jeleva-edh-big-spells-are-bett): no two games with this bad girl are the same - I'm always having to think proactively (as well as reactively) to determine which line I should take next. Decks like this can win fast, but it isn't the ability to win which attracts me so much as the engaging experience these decks provide. I was looking to put together a new creature-based deck, as I felt I had fallen out of love slightly with mine others due to lack of variability or agency (eg Goreclaw - dump fatties, turn sideways, pray no one casts a Wrath).

Enter birthing pod. Pod, and similar cards such as Prime Speaker Vannifar, provide a creature deck with both variability and agency. They enable the tutoring of situation-dependent creatures directly to the battlefield. Such cards offer huge power by virtue of providing with a totally different way to build a creature deck. They allow the inclusion of a multiplicity of one-off (so-called "toolbox") effects, combo lines, and answers to boardstates which creature decks can otherwise struggle with. Each turn playing a pod deck (and thereby each game playing a pod deck) is different - you ask yourself questions and come up with what you think is the best answer for the situation. Should I focus on developing my mana? Should I develop a threat? Should I start piecing together a combo or win condition? Should I take a turn out to answer some threats that would otherwise go unanswered? Is there a busted synergy available to me which I should capitalise on? Sure, you have to know your decklist inside-out, but pod decks can be incredibly fun for players, like myself, who enjoy a mixture of proactive and reactive gameplay.

Why Pako?

As discussed above, I love agency. I love being able to make choices that actively shape the game. And for this, we need cards. Pako provides us with a steady stream of card advantage in a way that is fun and unique, while himself putting pressure on our opponents resources (creatures or life-total depending on how inclined they are to block). it's not unreasonable for him to provide with 2-4 extra cards every time he attacks - and he doesn't even have to connect, which is huge (Tymna eat your heart out). Pako having haste is one of his key features - unless he gets insta-removed, he's always going to generate some value on the turn he comes down, which I love. Importantly, we can even play our opponents lands from the "fetch" zone, and therefore we can run slightly fewer of our own to make room for a bigger tutorable toolbox of good creatures. Sure, we can't play our creatures if Pako fetches them, but I've found that as long as our overall creature count is somewhere south of 30, this isn't too big of a deal. Furthermore, If we can get the good boi out early enough, he can become absolutely huge, presenting a viable win-condition via commander damage. Taking stock then, Pako and Haldan provide us with cards, pressure our opponents, and represents a plausible win/kill condition; this partner pairing has to be a candidate for the most generically good Temur general ever printed. It's also worth noting that we have 2 different CMCs in the command zone, opening up lines for birthing pod effects should we elect to sacrifice our commanders to them in a pinch. Oh, and the art/foiling is gorgeous. 10/10 commander.

General strategy.

Early game:

We need to get the dog out early to take advantage of the cards he provides and the pressure he puts on our opponents. Mulligan until you find ramp (of which there is plenty in the list) and aim for a turn 3-4 Pako. Get swinging, and dig for cards.

Mid game / value engines:

Ideally, we're looking to find some birthing pod pieces to let us dictate the pace of the game. If we can find birthing pod or Vannifar, we're in the money: now we can assess the boardstate and actively decide which of our toolbox creatures is most appropriate at any given time. Need to develop some mana? Find Azusa. Need to slow down the opponents? Venser, Shaper Savant or Reclemation Sage might be appropriate. Looking to generate value++? Look no further than Spark Double - what could be better than two Pakos?

A wide toolbox lets us react to what cards become available to us. If we land a Leyline of Ancitipation, then podding out either Rashmi, Eternities Crafter or Seedborn Muse can only lead to good things. As above, knowing the decklist inside-out is crucial when playing pod.

If we can't find any pod pieces, then we switch to plan B: protect Pako with countermagic or on-board protection and start chipping away at life totals. Various cards support this approrach (Aqueous Form; Rancor; Whispersilk Cloak; Guardian Augmenter; Kediss, Emberclaw Familiar etc).

Late game / top of curve / win conditions.

Notable inclusions.

Notable exclusions.

Cards to consider.

Final thoughts.