Experimenting with Hugs (Experiment Kraj) (EDH / Commander)

This is a weird one... It's draw and ramp sections are dedicated group hug staples, but nothing you don't see in any other group hug decks. It's weirdness is because it leans more into the simic side of things and focuses on creatures, but I didn't want to just do the normal "hunted-" type creatures that are seen in other group hugs to give people creatures. So instead I let other people bring their creatures to the field, and I then buff those creatures.

With the protection section the deck starts to lean towards creatures matter. It includes things like Broken Fall, Rushwood Herbalist, and Sporeback Troll to help keep their creatures from dying. It also includes ways to untap other creatures such as Vigean Graftmage and Kiora's Follower. Just for a little additive, I added the Plaxcaster Frogling just to really help out.

I was loathed to include removal, since this is a group hug deck and should be doing everything in it's power to build up rather than destroy. However I wanted more proliferation and there is something to be said about balancing it out by "dethroning" so there are things like Cankerbloom, Mesmerizing Dose, and Smell Fear. I may be removing things, but I am also buffing so it's still group hug!

Now, the essentials are done. Now it's the meat and potatoes. The commander cares about +1/+1 counters and this deck delivers. There are 22 cards that give +1/+1 counters to target creatures, and 20 proliferation cards. You are not only guaranteed to draw these regularly, but almost all of them are repeatable triggers. Every single creature can enter the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter or 5 if you deign it. Some can get more than others, some can get nothing, it is entirely up to you. This is group hug though, so we choose to buff the weakest player. Just remember to start wheeling and dealing as soon as someone starts trying to destroy your things. We have very little protection for enchantments. So instead try offering them a bunch of counters, untapping their creatures, or maybe even giving them life.

Which brings us to the last part of this deck which is the life gain. I wanted to further enable the other players by healing the table periodically. It should enable trades and allow you to protect certain players from death. Who knows when you might draw that miracle card you needed? This deck's draw section should be giving people multiple draw cards per turn, so let's see! Bounty Board is a great way to heal everyone except the guy in the lead. Everyone is gonna focus him down anyway, might as well reward them for it. Ioreth of the Healing House and Kiora's Follower can help untap the bounty board to assign multiple bounties per turn. Inscription of Abundance, Healing Leaves, and Primal Command are modal spells with various uses, but most others in this section are like Natural Spring. However there is some cheeky payment ones like Skyshroud Cutter.

"BUT WHAT'S THE WINCON???" - I hear you ask

Except I didn't, I hope you know the wincon here. Obviously you just stop hugging. Everything in this deck says "target" and not "target opponent controls" and so when it comes down to you and the final opponent you just stop buffing their creatures and solely focus on yourself. When you spread your resources across 3 people, it looks like a typical group hug deck. As soon as you focus it all on yourself, you become a massive threat. So try very hard not to buff yourself too large too early. Stay in the bottom half of the leaderboard for most of the game. Or just scoop when it gets down to the two of you, it really throws people through a loop and a half. If you do scoop, take a whole turn where you get as buff as possible then scoop. For dramatic effect.