Cat-mmander (EDH / Commander)

This deck is from our new podcast Mull to 3, Episode 9 'Master and Commander' (https://www.spreaker.com/user/mullto3/episode-9-master-and-commander) posted on the 29th of August 2017.

Introduction

Each of the members of Mull to 3 (including social media man Mark) took one of the pre-constructed decks to play prior to Episode 9, and it was Mazz that took Feline Ferocity. This is his upgraded version of the deck. Each year Mazz picks one of the pre-cons and optimises it to suit his style of play.

As I already own a equipment themed deck, I decided I wanted to build cats entirely without equipment with Arahbo, Roar of the World as the commander. The themes this deck will focus on are:
1) Cats: Every creature must be a cat (or become a cat when it hits the battlefield). This is for flavour and also so that Arahbo's abilities can target them.
2) Ramp: As Arahbo is quite a mana hungry commander once he hits the battlefield, this deck has a fair bit of mana ramp to make sure that you can double up as many cats as you need to.
3) Amplifiers: A bunch of cards are in this deck that cause your creatures to really take advantage of Arahbo's doubling effect by either giving creatures double strike or just increasing their size.
4) Tribal: This is my first tribal themed deck (unless you count Kaalia, of the Vast) and I want to use as many cool tribal cards as possible to make the deck stand out from my previous creations.
5) Payoff: Large creatures unlocks possibilities in certain cards that require large creatures to be effective. This deck is chock-full of these effects which create some hilarious situations.

The Cats

I decided on 35 cats (including Arahbo) as being a solid number, enough that you get a few but not too many. Each cat has been hand picked because either it plays nice with being pumped by Arahbo, or because it's just a good card for other reasons. Some standouts include Sacred Cat the best turn one play because you can start hitting for an 8 point life swing from your second turn, and Adorned Pouncer the best turn two play because you can start hitting for 8 direct to the face on turn 3. Chameleon Colossus was made for Arahbo, as for the low low cost of 7 mana you get a 28/28 with trample and protection from black.

The Ramp

Nabbing extra lands can start as early as turn 2 with Oreskos Explorer. The deck features a 3 card suite of efficient 3 mana land ramp cards with Cultivate-like effects. There are also three lands that have their own inherent ramp ability, with Myriad Landscape being a good example. The Ramp line-up is topped off with three massive cards, Mirari's Wake, Traverse the Outlands, and Zendikar Resurgent.

Amplifiers

The deck has a few ways to make the most of Arahbo's power and toughness boost. Duelist's Heritage and True Conviction are great ways to double your damage output. Anthem cards like Shared Triumph, Obelisk or Urd, and the amazing Door of Destinies also make a big impact. We've already mentioned Chameleon Colossus, but Mirror Entity should also get a honourable mention and can get out of control with a good amount of Ramp.

Tribal Tricks

Aside from the many anthems there are a few other nice tribal abilities. [[Herald's Horn]] is a great way to get a few extra cards and smack them down for cheap, and Kindred Summons has the potential to be one of the biggest finishers the deck can have. We also have a good smattering of lords including Regal Caracal, Adaptive Automaton, and Metallic Mimic.

Pay Off Time

Some of the most fun cards haven't even been mentioned yet. Soul's Majesty, Hunter's Prowess, and Rishkar's Expertise are great ways to top up your hand, and with a giant growth happening every turn it's not hard to do so. Other options exist that I haven't included, and cards like Greater Good could certainly find a comfortable place in this build.

This is my take on a fun cats build (without equipment), let me know about yours in the comments below.

Have fun playing with one of the coolest (although unfortunately far from strongest) tribes around!

Follow us on Twitter (https://twitter.com/mullto3) or like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/mullto3/?ref=br_rs) @mullto3.

Our podcast is available on iTunes (Mull to 3) and is hosted on our Spreaker site (https://www.spreaker.com/show/mull-to-3).