Dual Help Request: Choosing my Next Commander and Navigating xir Options

[jlutzxinc]

I've run into a problem wherein I'll start making a Commander Deck, grab the first two dozen or so cards and then get stuck and not be able to continue; I know we're supposed to post complete Decks for advice but I can't seem to finish these.  Of the following options I'd like advice on a) which one I should focus on and b) how I should go about it:

Archelos, Lagoon Mystic ("grouphug" // bidirectional speed control, most likely through Freed from the Real and similar)
Kathril, Aspect Warper (Keywords matter; I've made a Keyword Deck already but it has a very different approach)
Sen Triplets (assorted theft, with Rogues // Mill as a strong subtheme)
Tariel, Reckoner of Souls // Obosh, the Preypiercer (all aspects of her flavor, most likely through the paradigm of Angel Tribal Reanimator)
Xyris, the Writhing Storm (Wheels)

I'd especially like to build Archelos or Tariel but I'm open to any of these; I usually won't use obviously subpar cards to save money, but not spending thousands would be nice.

EDIT BY REQUEST: Here's loosely what my "meta" looks like; it varies wildly.

[nootnerd]

So, I can't help you figure out which one to build, they all seem good, though I will warn you that a good Sen Triplets deck is really fun to play but an absolute nightmare to play against, and, depending on how casual your playgroup is, you may not be allowed to play it. (though, if you do go with that one, there are a couple of cards I could recommend). I don't have a lot of money, so I make a lot of budget decklists, and what I do is go to CardKindom or a similar website and just look at the cards in my commander's colors within a certain price limit, and just see what's there. If there is an Oracle text filter option, you can also use that to narrow it down even more.

[Judaspriester]

Some more information about your play group and your planned budget would help alot for giving you an answer.
If you play with a casual group with ~100$ decks, something like Sen Triplets would most likely be overkill. On the other hand, on a very competetive group, Kathril, Aspect Warper may be a very risky idea, because shes not that fast and you have to rely way to much on your graveyard (which your opponents will most likely be aware of).
Linking 1-2 example decks that somewhat represent the powerlevel of your group would also do the trick.

Im a little careful with this topic because of my own experience. "Don't bring a Stick to a Knife fight" May be funny for some time if you are the one with the knife, but if you are the one with the stick, its not exaclty enjoyable at the long term (unless you are really looking for challenges).

Btw, since you mentioned Grouphug with Archelos.. I just build a group slug deck some days ago around Yurlok. Maybe that deck gives you some inspiration:
https://deckstats.net/decks/112190/1862054-yurlok-group-slug
The idea behind the deck was pumping mana in the table early on to avoid non-games and then drown them in all the mana they can't spend. I think it could be funny explaining the table that everyone except me now first gets 100 mana in the pool and they will all die now because im switching the phases. 

[HalfChicken]

Are you aware of the fact that Sen Triplets costs over $100?

[jlutzxinc]

@nootnerd: My group isn't THAT casual.

@Judaspriester: I've edited the OP with a slightly outdated overview; we had several Yurlok Decks but we ran into him everywhere so we got sick of it for a while.

@HalfChicken: Not even close...unless you meant for the entire Deck, in which case I don't care.

[Slyvester12]

Are you aware of the fact that Sen Triplets costs over $100?

You can buy a near mint Sen Triplets in the original printing from Alara at Cardkingdom for $12... what?

[Judaspriester]

@Judaspriester: I've edited the OP with a slightly outdated overview; we had several Yurlok Decks but we ran into him everywhere so we got sick of it for a while.

Yeah, that overview helps a little. According to that, your group is on a little harder budget than my one.

With that in mind, lets take a look for your ideas:

Archelos, Lagoon Mystic ("grouphug" // bidirectional speed control, most likely through Freed from the Real and similar)

Would most likely work, depends on how you build the deck in detail.

Kathril, Aspect Warper (Keywords matter; I've made a Keyword Deck already but it has a very different approach)

Im afraid your playgroup will be smart enough to make sure you dont assemble a critical mass on keywords in your graveyard. Without She looses alot of power.

Sen Triplets (assorted theft, with Rogues // Mill as a strong subtheme)

Something I would most likely not enjoy to play against, but as long as you dont overdo it, it should fit into your playgroup.

Tariel, Reckoner of Souls // Obosh, the Preypiercer (all aspects of her flavor, most likely through the paradigm of Angel Tribal Reanimator)

If you really want to use Obosh as companion and stick to the angel tribal, it will be challenging because you lock yourself out of alot of possible cards. But on the other hand, especially this fact could make the building interesting. Besides that, it most likely ends up as a kinda unique deck.

Xyris, the Writhing Storm (Wheels)

Interesting commander, allows alot of variety. You just have to think about which road you want to go in order to finish off the table later on.

[jlutzxinc]

About Kathril: In case Avacyn, Angel of Hope didn't give it away, we run loads of wipes; grave hate is rare outside of Maralen of the Mornsong and Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur, because most of us want our stuff back.  In fact having too much hate would also make Ghen, Arcanum Weaver and my yard-heavy Sen Triplets concept unplayable.

About Xyris: My initial draft went pure Wheels with a goal of Decking everyone, but the mana curve was unsustainable so I had to back up.

About Tariel // Obosh: My group uses the original Companion mechanic, so there's a small benefit to keeping Obosh as Companion; the Deck doesn't have to be Angel Tribal but the new Black Angels from Kaldheim are making that angle tempting.

[HalfChicken]

Oh woops. A couple months ago Sen spiked and hit $138 lol I probably should have double checked the price.

[WizardSpartan]

Which one you should focus on is definitely a matter of personal preference. Each person who suggests something brings their own inherent bias against certain commanders/strategies and for other certain commanders/strategies.

In an effort to avoid being biased, I'll just discuss what I think the role these decks would play & their power level. Obviously, they won't be perfect and my opinion might change depending on certain inclusions. Whichever one appeals to you the most might be the best option.

Archelos Group Hug: Very politicky (definitely a word, nothing to see here) & more on the casual end. You mentioned "speed control," so if you intend to handicap certain players who are getting ahead, this deck could also inspire some salt.

Kathril, Aspect Warper: I've built this, and it's very hit or miss. Either you hit key tutor cards like Buried Alive, Fauna Shaman, etc. or get lucky with self-mill effects and get a crazy good Kathril that threatens the game as a whole or you don't necessary cards and durdle/your opponents hit you with grave hate or a removal spell on Kathril. Lot of variance, which could be refreshing. Probably a bit higher than Archelos Group Hug in terms of strict power level

Sen Triplets: I'm not quite sure how Rogues & Mill play into Triplets, but I will say that Triplets when paired with a good 5 color mana base (to play your opponents' red & green spells) can be incredibly frustrating to play against. It is strong (probably more-so than the previous 2 commanders) and very salt-inducing.

Tariel, Reckoner of Souls // Obosh, the Preypiercer: This seems super spicy. One major aspect of this would be the variance, much like Kathril. Being limited to odd CMC spells and being very reliant on your opponents having good creatures in the graveyard + you getting lucky with the random choice means that it will be wildly hit or miss. Now, I think that (depending on your exact list) it can be less hit or miss in some aspects than Kathril because your list isn't going to necessarily be centered around Tariel. Probably between Archelos & Kathril in power level mainly because of the odd CMC only restriction & Tariel's randomness.

Xyris, the Writhing Storm: I've had the misfortune to play against several Xyris wheel decks and they can be pretty insane. Wheel a few times, make an absurd number of snakes, win with a pump spell, Impact Tremors, pick your poison. Power level would probably be right around Sen Triplets, with each taking the crown depending on exact lists.

Hopefully this was helpful!

[jlutzxinc]

This was very helpful, thank you.  If I go with Sen Triplets it will be as a combination of themselves and Gyruda, Doom of Depths // Wrexial, the Risen Deep grave-theft with White for flicker and Blink.  If I do Archelos I'll alternately slow down people who are ahead and speed up people who are behind (or if everyone is even just speed up everyone with everyone-draws effects and Braids, Conjurer Adept et al).  If I play Tariel it for sure won't revolve around her the card but instead her flavor text.

EDIT: I'll add that I'm considering Archelos for flavor too, except that unlike Tariel he actually SUPPORTS his own flavor.

[stuffnsuch]

I feel like the Avacyn deck would be brutal to play against.  I'd make sure your playgroup is 100% on board before running it out.  That being said, you want a lot more ways to use the board wipes before you get your commander out, since she's crazy expensive in the color with the worst ramp.  What ramp you can manage is, of course, essential, as well as graveyard recursion, like Faith's Reward and Brought Back to help during those earlier board wipes.  Not every strategy will be creature based so being able to take out enchantments and artifacts especially will be necessary.  Adding some protection granting creatures will avoid single target exile effects, so Giver of Runes or similar would be great.  Finally, make sure you have something worthwhile to keep around.  There's no reason to grant protection to your board if you don't have your favorite white army in play.  I'd personally load up on stax pieces as well, but this deck is already mean enough without those, so you may decide not to.  It's up to you.

Of your options, I liked the ideal of playing Ghen.  Throw in some curses and Sagas, Enchantments with ETB and/or LTB effects (like the Omens from Theros Beyond Death).  A Starfield Mystic and Mesa Entrantress ramp and draw respectively.  There are plenty of great constellation effects that work well with him as well.  It'd be nice to see something that's an enchantress style deck but not in Bant.

[jlutzxinc]

Ah, I think you've misunderstood.  The linked list is what my OPPONENTS run, not what I want to; that's in the post body.  Avacyn IS brutal and that Deck is loaded with ramp for good reason.  Ghen, on the other hand, is really slow and might need to be replaced.

[TrueNeutralPaladin]

Have you considered [[Yasharn, Implacable Earth]]? For four mana, you get a commander that puts two lands in hand when cast or blinked and screws with your opponents' strategies while on the board.

The two-color land base is simple, and you can build the deck however you want outside of themes that involve sacrificing permanents or paying life.

[[Linvala, Keeper of Silence]] and [[Sigarda, Host of Herons]] make excellent subcommanders, shutting down even more of your opponents' dastardly shenanigans.

Valued minions include [[Aven Mindcensor]] and [[Drannith Magistrate]] to further trample finely laid plans into the suddenly fertile dust.

For maximum fun and bragging rights, you can power up with [[Mirari's Wake]], [[Selvala, Heart of the Wilds]], [[Nyxbloom Ancient]], or [[Doubling Season]] and attempt to build the [[Helix Pinnacle]].

Or go ham with enchantments - this is Selesnya, after all! Load up Yasharn with auras and ram straight into your enemies' backsides.

Or just beat face with [[Avacyn, Angel of Hope]] or [[Craterhoof Behemoth]].

Whatever - Yasharn just wants you to be happy.

*Legal disclaimer: Yasharn is not responsible for damage incurred to your opponents' fetchlands by their own salty tears of rage and impotence.

[Slyvester12]

*Legal disclaimer: Yasharn is not responsible for damage incurred to your opponents' fetchlands by their own salty tears of rage and impotence.

Ironically, fetchlands are one of the only sacrifice effects Yasharn doesn't stop.