(Flaming FistFlaming Fist | Art by Diego Gisbert)
(Wilson, Refined GrizzlyWilson, Refined Grizzly | Art by Ilse Gort)

Sheer Pawer

Greetings and salutations my dear brewers, from a country which has, like any other country, swiftly shifted into 2025. I'm Arnaud and I'm thrilled to take you on a journey of refinery, delicacy, gentleness and huge paws to the face.

It's been a while since our last proper Trim, has it not? In the last article, I dabbled with a more Christmas-like theme, foregoing efficiency altogether for good fun. Well, we've had enough of all that sweetness and care and happy-go-lucky attitude. Today, we're setting things back on track with a proper smash to the teeth. Today, we dine with Wilson.

This one I've been longing to brew for you, my beloved readers, for quite some time. I first met this uncanny combination a while back while playing on Spelltable, and I've been held in awe by the utmost ruthless efficiency of the list which happily utterly destroyed me.

This is Voltron at its best. Wilson has one of the best combination of keywords you can find for a puny . It has evasion, protection, can block flyers and is a formidable threat both as an attacker and a defender. It's an easy deck to play, absolutely perfect for newcomers.

Before we dabble a bit more with that gleeful basher, let's point out an interesting stat. Despite having less than a thousand decks to their name, this combination of commanders boasts 455 different cards when combining the normal and cheap recommendations. 455.

That's a lot. So much so that I don't believe we've ever had so many cards to start with in any prior brew. This is a clear indicator that there are a lot of ways to build this deck, and I already foresee a nice headache in the near future.

So. 455 cards then (did I tell you that's a lot?). Let's trim that down.

First Trim - The Cardboard Chainsaw Massacre

Happy New Year, Happy New Year, old timers and newcomers alike! I can't believe I forgot that part.

At any rate, for any of you discovering this series with this article, here's what we're doing: budget decks, with no cards worth more than $1.10 (the 10 cents being there to account for price variation).

As a rule of thumb, I use the prices from Card Kingdom and TCG Player as shown on Archidekt. These are averages, and I'm sure you could find better prices eventually.

Without further ado, let's proceed to our first cuts. Everything above $2 must go. $2? Yep, these will get the axe too, but we're going to have a close look at them first, in case you felt like upping the budget a bit while staying reasonable.

After this first shaving, we're down to 336 cards, still a huge volume by our usual standards. Usually we're down to around 220-250ish at this point. Can you see massive tables looming in?

We also have 34 cards left in the $1-$2 bracket. Let's have a look at the best among them worth more than $1.10.

• Swords to PlowsharesSwords to Plowshares: Wait, what? Last time this was worth pennies...
• Kodama's ReachKodama's Reach: It's been reprinted in the precons from Outlaws of Thunder Junction and in The Lost Caverns of Ixalan, and yet it still fetches a decent price. This just means it just hasn't been reprinted enough...
• Daybreak CoronetDaybreak Coronet: This one's a heart-breaker. I absolutely love this Aura. And while the price has undergone a significant drop since its first printing, at $1.18 it's still slightly above our pay grade. A shame.
• Setessan ChampionSetessan Champion: With the sheer amount of auras we're planning on playing, this is an Enchantress on steroids...
• Sanctum WeaverSanctum Weaver: Same as above, but for mana.
• Puresteel PaladinPuresteel Paladin: Depending on how many Equipment you're leaning on, this is a either a must-have or a stinker.
• ReprieveReprieve: How I wish there was a non-UB version of this card. Counterspelling in white is always hilarious.
• Champion's HelmChampion's Helm: Boost and protection for a puny to equip. This is gold.
• Belt of Giant StrengthBelt of Giant Strength: Don't let that equip cost fool you. It'll often be for little. And this will propel your commander in the lethal zone.
• Verduran EnchantressVerduran Enchantress: Come on WotC, reprint that to uncommon, as you did for her MesaMesa counterpart...
• Rishkar's ExpertiseRishkar's Expertise: Huge draw outlet, although a tad expensive for our plans here.
• Keen SenseKeen Sense: This on the other hand is huge, especially with double strike.
• Lion SashLion Sash: Boost and graveyard management all in one. Splendid.
• Sythis, Harvest's HandSythis, Harvest's Hand: There goes another draw outlet... Painful.
• Strong BackStrong Back: Ramp (sort of) and huge boost meshed together. Lovely.
• One with NatureOne with Nature: With our premises, this basically says "ramp two lands on combat". What's not to like?
• Canopy CoverCanopy Cover: More evasion and more protection. Not bad for 2 mana.

This leaves us with a few cards in the $1-$1.10 range, and I'll be blunt: I love all of them.

• Blackblade ReforgedBlackblade Reforged: By the time you equip it, it's usually at the very least a +5/+5 boost.
• Vines of VastwoodVines of Vastwood: Combat trick along with protection. With our background, that 8 additional damage for . Need I say more?
• Angelic DestinyAngelic Destiny: This is a bit on the pricier side of things mana-wise, but the boost is considerable, the keywords extremely relevant and I love the recursion.
• Beast WithinBeast Within: No comment, we all know how good this removal is.
• Bridgeworks BattleBridgeworks Battle: A removal that reduces our land count.
• Fyndhorn ElvesFyndhorn Elves: 1 mana ramp is going to be VERY relevant, more in a second.

Well then, after these cuts, we're down to 308 cards. On to the veggies.

Second Trim - Cardward Scissorhands

So, veggies. Or in other words, the cards that will allow you to build your path to consistency.

This is what we have at the moment.

As you can see, there's quite a lot to trim already. I was a bit worried before when I saw several Enchantresses leave, but it turns out we actually have more than enough left in the deck. So much so I could consider cutting an additional one or two.

Also, we're facing a couple of key choices.

The first one regards ramp: I'm going to cut anything that costs two mana, and several costing three. The reason for that is fairly straightforward: our commander costs , and we want to swing with him as soon as possible. Therefore I could not foresee any scenario where I would rather play a rock turn two.

One could argue I could play those on a later turn. Sure, but by then I could play 3-4 mana spells, either pumping Wilson, drawing cards or ramping more efficiently.

And as the game progresses, I'd rather play something else than ramp. Two mana removal is fine, since it can be useful at any point in the game, and you rarely have to dispatch something that early, aside from the occasional Esper SentinelEsper Sentinel. The turn 3 background is more debatable, hence the slight leniency.

I'll apply the same reasoning to the land base. As I want to make sure I can ramp on turn 1 and play Wilson on turn 2, I'll limit lands that enter tapped to a minimum.

The second concerns our draw outlets. There are a few that are depending on us casting enchantments. Therefore, this is the direction I'll be committing to. I'll keep some key Equipment, but I'd rather build this deck with Auras to make our commander huge.

This will also justify playing enchantment-based removal. Bear in mind that this is a subjective decision, and that other strategies could work just as well.

With these considerations out of the way, let's cut.

All right, that's not too bad. After cleaning up the land base a bit, we're down to 214 cards.

Now that we have enough to keep us going, we can get to the fun part.

Third Trim - Cutting Off the Rough Edges

Right, so we have a lot of cards to go through still.

There are a few categories standing out, but we can divide the broadest ones in two major piles: protection and boost.

The first one is quite egregious, with 31 spells devised specifically to protect our commander. There are also a few other scattered in other categories (we'll come to that in a second), but obviously we'll have to cut deep here, although I like the attention given to protecting our killing outlet.

The second is divided in four main sections: Auras, Equipment, counters and temporary boost. As said earlier, I'll mainly focus this build on auras, keeping only the very best assets of the other two types.

While less present, there is also a neat recursion package, as well as a few tutors (say goodbye) and a few miscellaneous spells.

Before we start cutting, I'd like to give you a general outline of the strategy we're going after.

The goal, as you may have surmised, is to inflict lethal damage with our commander, with help from its background. To this end, we want to pump him to either 6 or 11 power as quickly as possible. 6 will be theoretically lethal in two blows, 11 will be instakill, thanks to the double strike.

Wilson being already a 2/2, we need to pump its power by at least 4 (don't you love math?). This is a very straightforward strategy, and while we may keep some shenanigans up our sleeve, I quite like the idea of "you know what's coming, and there's nothing you can do to stop it".

Be aware that creating a sheer monstrosity this fast will inevitably attract unwanted attention to you. The savviest of your opponents will likely raise an eyebrow when you announce what lies in the command zone.

Therefore, you want to make sure to either pack keywords such as indestructible or hexproof, play Auras with totem/umbra armor or keep one or two protection spells in hand.

Trust me, they will try to kill Wilson, repeatedly so. And while your commander's mana value is a definite asset, you don't want him to cost you 8 mana in the end.

Also bear in mind that while some of the protection spells could help you go through defenses unimpeded, they could also inadvertently destroy all auras of the chosen colors.

Hopefully, the various enchantresses in the deck should help you keep your hand filled, in order to rebuild quickly should your commander meet its demise.

With that in mind, let's get cutting. We need to (ideally) reach the 110-cards threshold before moving on. Daunting.

Well, that's all I can do at the moment. We haven't quite reached the hoped-for 110, but we're close. 111 cards and counting.

Time to end this.

Final Trim - Heart-Wrenching Choices

Right, so 13 cards to go. I'll be honest, I'm a bit stumped.

So let's do what we usually do in these cases. Let's grab a bit of this and that in every category, see if there's any remaining fat to trim down.

As usual, please note that no cards are bad at this point of the build, it's just a matter of personal preference.

• Viewpoint SynchronizationViewpoint Synchronization: At 2.63 at this moment, the curve is remarkably low, so I believe we can cut down a ramp outlet.
• Path to ExilePath to Exile: I'd rather keep enchantments, and the other removals are more versatile.
• Mesa EnchantressMesa Enchantress: I hesitated with Eidolon of BlossomsEidolon of Blossoms. But the latter is an enchantment herself and draws a card upon arrival.
• Karametra's BlessingKarametra's Blessing: One protection spell for the road.
• Become ImmenseBecome Immense: While the ceiling is high, I'm wondering whether we'll be able to consistently delve for it.
• Glyph ElementalGlyph Elemental: Cute, but I fear it's going to be a tad too slow, especially since we're not running many ways to go look for lands.
• Umbra MysticUmbra Mystic: This one I'm a bit torn on. On the one hand I like the idea of extending the protection to all of our auras. On the other hand we already have a lot of armor built-in. In the end, I decided against it, but it was a close call.
• Predatory HungerPredatory Hunger: I'm not 100% convinced. 95% yes, but not 100%. Which is why I'm cutting it, with a few regrets.
• Kudo, King Among BearsKudo, King Among Bears: I really, really, REALLY wanted to keep that one to the very end. Turning all other creatures in 2/2s seems really fun. But it does directly not serve our strategy. Almost, but not quite.
• LignifyLignify: At this point, I'm looking at all categories, and say "not this, not this, not this, let's start over...".
• Dog UmbraDog Umbra: Because I've truly run out of ideas.

Weird how most of the heavy-handed cuts were very easy to decide, but how the end proved excruciatingly difficult... At any rate, I give you...

Additional Trim - A Look Into the Past

Finally, let's have a look at how an old brew fared. This time, we're analyzing Kelsien, Lethal Pinger of Mortal Death.

You know what? It could have been so much worse:

• Swords to PlowsharesSwords to Plowshares: $1.11
• Otharri, Suns' GloryOtharri, Suns' Glory: $1.16
• Open the ArmoryOpen the Armory: $1.17
• Talisman of HierarchyTalisman of Hierarchy: $1.17
• PhyresisPhyresis: $1.28
• Gisa, Glorious ResurrectorGisa, Glorious Resurrector: $1.83
• Sulfurous SpringsSulfurous Springs: $2.36
• Gift of DoomGift of Doom: $4.49 (!)

8% of the deck to replace. Let's find some suitable runner-ups:

• Falthis, Shadowcat FamiliarFalthis, Shadowcat Familiar: Let's have a two in one!
• Morbid OpportunistMorbid Opportunist: I'll never scoff at more card draw.
• General's EnforcerGeneral's Enforcer: An interesting outlet to protect our commander.
• Rogue's PassageRogue's Passage: In place of the missing land. Let's make sure our commander strikes true.
• Gorgon FlailGorgon Flail: With the recent addition to Jumpstart Foundations, this has dropped to $0.36. Yes please!
• Hunter's BlowgunHunter's Blowgun: More death. MOOOOOORE!
• Taii Wakeen, Perfect ShotTaii Wakeen, Perfect Shot: Somehow seems the perfect match to our commander.
• Stroke of MidnightStroke of Midnight: To replace our lost rock.

You can find the updated list here.

Conclusion

I'll tell you what: it feels good to start the new year with a challenging brew.

Now though, it's your turn. Have you built Wilson? If so, with which Background? And if it's with Flaming Fist, which route have you undertaken?

Let me know in the comments bellow and I'll see you in two weeks!

Arnaud Gompertz

Arnaud Gompertz has been playing Magic since 4th Edition, back in 1995. He's been an assiduous EDH enthusiast since 2012, with a soft spot for unusual and casual Commanders. He'll always favour spectacular plays against a boring path to victory. Aside from mistreating cardboard, he's a dedicated board games player, loves a challenging video game and occasionally tries to sing with his choir.