Primer last updated: 7/28/2023

Mardu Treasures

> Introduction

Intro note: I've created a ton of Akiri/x variants playing Mardu treasures over the years. I decided to finally just make a solid treasure deck (this list) under Akiri, and I play the deck with a roulette for the partner picking randomly before the game starts from:

• Keskit, the Flesh Sculptor
• Armix, Filigree Thrasher
• Falthis, Shadowcat Familiar
• Tymna the Weaver
• Tevesh Szat, Doom of Fools
• Nadier, Agent of the Duskenel

The primer is written from the POV of Akiri/Nadier (as the title suggests). I'll leave it like that but you can imagine each of these partners gives the deck a flavorful spin on its axis.

This is a midrange deck that seeks to establish an early game with Akiri providing incredible (non-flying) board presence, stockpiling treasure tokens, and a later game focused on draining your opponents out by using those tokens.
Play this deck if you:

• Enjoy playing the most refined color pairing in Commander
• Love generating a pile of treasure
• Enjoy a very consistent turn 1-3
• Enjoy a variety of paths to victory

Do not play this deck if you:

• Are looking to aggressively combo off (this deck is purposely tuned to my meta)
• Think treasures are way too pushed by WoTC lately (they are, but I won't let that stop me from continuing to love it)

> Overview

Previous versions of the deck that I played for several years focused on an aggressive strategy pairing Akiri with Tymna, looking for an explosive turn 1-3 powering Akiri up and ramping with 0CMC mana rocks while establishing the Akiri/Tymna engine to keep your hand full and blow the game out by turn 5. This strategy was usually too potent for my playgroup and removing the 0CMC rocks left the deck (in my opinion) as an aggro deck with no gas. I wanted a change and to re-tool the deck into midrange with some oomph in the end game.

This iteration of the deck replaces Tymna with Nadier and is an artifact token aristocrats deck at its heart. There is a certain Yin and Yang between Akiri and Nadier. Stockpiling treasures powers Akiri up but does nothing for Nadier. Using treasures powers Akiri down but charges Nadier up. My buddy describes it as "the transfer of power being complete."

True to being a midrange deck, it looks to establish an early aggressive board presence with Akiri while seeking to amass a pile of artifact tokens. At some point you will want to start using your treasures. You should get Nadier out before this point to maintain the value from them. Nadier provides a growing inevitability that a simple Path to Exile can't solve for your opponents. Nadier along with various cards synergistic with the sacrifice of artifacts allow you to milk maximum value out of your treasures to drain your opponents out while using them to fuel your spells.

> Strategy

> Starting Hand and Early Game

A perfect starting hand has these elements, in priority order:

• A way to generate W and R on T2
• An artifact or a way to generate an artifact token to turn Akiri on by combat on T3
• A way to start generating treasures
• A card advantage source to refill by T4 or T5

Early game looks remarkably similar each game, and it's here you can choose to power up the deck with duals, 0CMC artifacts and/or off-color fetches.

• T1: Fetching Savai Triome or playing an on-curve 1CMC drop (Esper Sentinel, Sol Ring, Shadowspear, etc. are your best bets). The land you play T1 needs to be able to make W or R.
• T2: Playing your other source of W or R as a land drop, and then dropping Akiri. I have purposely removed nearly all 2CMC mana rocks from this revision of the deck. You nearly always want to play Akiri on T2.
• T3: Paths start to open here. In theory playing a bunch of mana rocks in your deck is fine, and a great T3 would be land, 2CMC rock, 2CMC rock. This deck just creates so much passive ramp through treasure generation. It loves playing up the curve and rocks just haven’t felt necessary. Something like Guild Artisan feels great on T3, as it gives value on the attack trigger. There’s so many new 3CMC engines you don’t feel bad about dropping on curve after Akiri – Professional Face-Breaker, Black Market Connections, etc.

> Mid Game

At this point, your priority is to establish a treasure generating engine if you have not already, and to get Nadier out to snowball the value out of sacrificing your treasures.

> Directions to go from here

• Swinging in with a sufficiently large Akiri is certainly a valid option. Tacking on a sword or two, doubling up with Cranial Plating, or hitting enough artifacts that Embercleave becomes a killer are all Voltron avenues of play. Mother of Runes doubles as a way to get damage through or to provide protection.
• Get Nadier out and snowball treasures. You've got a truckload of options now.
• Dockside will always do it.
• If you have a handful of evasive attackers, Guild Artisan (which will trigger separately for both Akiri and Nadier!), Professional Facebreaker, Goldspan Dragon, and Grim Hireling will start making huge piles of treasure.
• A gross interaction exists between Akiri and Ruthless Technomancer. Akiri's power can get huge on the battlefield (her own ability, equipment like Cranial Plating, etc.). You can drop the Technomancer, sacrificing Akiri to it for a massive blast of treasures. Then any time before your next turn, simply pay 2B and sacrifice a single treasure (X can't be 0 after all) to bring your 0/3 Akiri back out of the yard.
• Establish Sunforger. Sunforger brings all the protection and removal in your deck to the palm of your hand.

> Infinite Combos

This deck is tuned for my meta and contains no infinite combos.

> Wincons

• Persist and drain. The "Token Synergies" package is your route to closing out the long game the midrange way. Use your treasures to fuel your spells and grow your Nadier and drain out your opponents. At some point your gigantic Nadier will die and leave behind a pile of 1/1 elves. Don't let off the pressure. Agent of the Iron Throne can (again, double) trigger on their deaths along with Nadier's Nightblade. Neither of these cards care if elves or treasure are hitting the bin. With a pile of elves, you can continue a go wide strategy to generate treasure with Grim Hireling and the gang to repeat the process. Use Skullclamp on your elves to refill your hand. Drop 10 tokens into Bolas's Citidel (even better with Mayhem Devil) to start closing things down quick.
• Again, swinging in with a sufficiently large Akiri (or Nadier, late game) is a valid option. There are various forms of evasion to push damage through. Hopefully you have the Sunforger package online to cover your ass as you Voltron out. Opponent playing a Grave Pact deck, which is the bane of any Voltron strategy? Cover your Akiri with a Nadier sac and fill the field with token fodder to sac to the triggers, and benefit from it all with your Nightblade, Agent of the Iron Throne, or Mayhem Devil.
• Suit up Marionette Master. A sufficiently large Master (God help them if you get Cranial Plating on it) can turn treasure sacs into nuclear bombs.

> Single Card Discussion

• Disciple of the Vault: Don’t be like me. Recognize this card sees ALL artifacts on the board hitting the bin.
• Ruthless Technomancer: If you missed it above, sacrifice a huge Akiri to the Technomancer to make a pile of treasures. Akiri, having 0 power in the graveyard, will only need 2B + 1 treasure sac to reanimate.
• Mirkwood Bats: Absolutely the best treasure payoff they've ever printed.

> Notable Exclusions

• Wheel of Fortune: Was avoiding the Wheel/Breach/Tithe combo.
• Fast Mana: Deck is tuned to my meta. If you want to play fast mana, I suggest an Akiri/Tymna variant. Being able to ramp through playing Akiri on 2 / Tymna on 3 (or earlier!) while getting Akiri online is ruthless and fantastic.
• Black Tutors: Deck is tuned to my meta. That said, I feel like my abuseable creature-based tutors and artifact/enchantment tutors generally get me where I need to go.
• Ancient Copper Dragon: Very expensive card ($$$). At the end of the day it's a big beater without haste that needs to cause combat damage to trigger. Hellkite Tyrant suffers from the same problem, and I'm running Hellkite Tyrant before I run this. The only 6 mana creature I want to eat removal is Nadier. Marionette Master is great because if it's not countered, you get to sac all your treasures in response to any removal.
• All That Glitters / Nettlecyst: It breaks my heart not to have these cards in the deck. Getting Cranial Plating type effects on Nadier is gross. Getting them on Marionette Master is gross. Sac’ing them under Disciple of Bolas or Ruthless Technomancer is gross. Attacking with them under Akroma’s Will or Embercleave is gross. Ultimately, an extra 1 mana to cast and 1 to equip is a tough sell in return for Living Weapon with Nettlecyst. Yeah, for 3 mana it comes right out and you can sac the germ to Disciple of Bolas or the Technomancer. If you don't have those cards though, you just wind up with a big beater. Akiri is great comparatively because she costs 2 and has the vigilance and first strike. I'd rather just give this slot to a tutor and have the flexibility of finding Cranial Plating or any of my other weapons in a pinch. All That Glitters is great but without any aura recursion I have a hard time justifying a one-shot effect.
• Artifact bridges: They’re a great idea to power Akiri up until someone drops a Collector Ouphe, Stony Silence, or Null Rod or casts Farewell. And when you’ve been Ouphed and Farewelled enough, you take these lands back out of your deck and burn them. I am at a 50% compromise with artifact lands right now.

> Change Log

Just check revision history - I keep notes there.