Apex Predator (Apex Build #5) (EDH / Commander)

THE BUILD:

I don’t think anyone has built a deck quite like this one before. As far as suggestions go, the closest I could find was Zurgo Helmsmasher, but that didn’t end up being very useful.

I guess it’s only fitting that the last deck in the series would be the one for which I have to go completely off the books. I mean, Snapdax Mardu Voltron with a mutate twist isn’t exactly something people… do.

This deck looks to mutate Snapdax on top of creatures a bunch of times and get value from that with cards like Dirge Bat and Insatiable Hemophage while turning Snapdax into a big, scary amalgamation of keyword abilities. But that isn’t enough. Snapdax would have to hit people too many times if we wanted to kill them, so we are making use of his double strike and suiting him up with a ton of equipment and auras that are meant to buff and protect him.

Once we have Snap-Tron running, we unleash the synergy! Snapdax’s double strike essentially doubles any power boost we put on him, so cards like Sunforger are more effective than they look, and Colossus Hammer becomes a one-shot kill. Celestial Mantle and Mask Of Memory also do crazy things with double strike, quadrupling our life total and refreshing our grip of cards as we hit players with massive damage!
Cards like Single Combat, Divine Reckoning, and – an absolute flavor win – Mythos of Snapdax really skew the board in our favour, and Silent Arbiter will ensure that we are not swarmed with tokens while also ensuring that Snapdax can’t be double-blocked when attacking in.

Finally, we need to protect our glorious creation. Rush of Vitality, Rebuff the Wicked, Mask of Avacyn, Swiftfoot Boots, Mirror Shield, Sejiri Shelter, etc. etc. will provide top-notch protection. Our main vulnerability is Taste of Death-type effects, to which our only answer is Assault Suit.

With Snapdax stiking twice, your opponents will quickly succumb to the might of Savai. Let the Hunt begin!

WHAT ARE “APEX BUILDS?”

As a tribute to my favourite set, I am making a series of 5 commander decks helmed by each of the five Ikoria Apex monsters, evenly matched to be pitted against each other for tons of Ikoria-flavored fun! Each Apex Build must:

• Have an Ikoria Apex at the helm (Snapdax, Apex of the Hunt)
• Contain its colour-matching Ultimatum (Ruinous Ultimatum)
• Contain the Apex’s Mythos spell (Mythos of Snapdax)
• Contain the Apex’s signature instant / sorcery (Will of the All-Hunter)
• Contain at least 20% nonland cards from Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths / IKO Commander
• Cost less than or equal to $60 AUD (approx. $44 USD)