Commander Krpytonite: Atraxa, Praetors' Voice

    Welcome back to the Thought Vessel! Today marks the beginning of a new article series we are incorporating into the blog: “Commander Kryptonite.” In this series, we will explore popular and challenging commanders across the multiverse, delving into their origins, deck mechanics, strengths, weaknesses, and strategies to overcome them. It's only fitting to kick off this series with the most popular commander of all time, the Phyrexian Angel herself, Atraxa, Praetors' Voice.

Origin

    Atraxa made her debut in the pre-constructed commander decks of 2016 when Wizards of the Coast introduced five 4-color commander decks, providing additional options for color combinations. This also introduced the first Partner commanders, shaping the cEDH space. Atraxa, particularly in the sans-red commander deck, quickly became the favorite. As a creature, Atraxa is formidable, boasting flying, vigilance, deathtouch, lifelink, and 4 power and toughness. What truly sets Atraxa apart is her ability: “At the beginning of your end step, proliferate.” This powerful effect allows players to add various counters, turning Atraxa into the most built commander on EDHREC despite her debut seven years ago. This article will delve into the most popular Atraxa build as of December 2023: Infect.

Overview of the Deck

    Infect, a mechanic originating from Scars of Mirrodin, inflicts damage as -1/-1 counters to creatures and as poison counters to players. Atraxa excels in proliferating poison counters, swiftly putting players on a countdown. The deck's strength lies in its adaptability, with options ranging from +1/+1 counters to sagas.

Strengths

    With cards like March of the Machines and Phyrexia, All Will Be One, the deck boasts numerous creatures dealing poison counters, often with low mana costs for early-game aggression. Atraxa's proliferate ability rapidly increases poison counters, weakening opponents' creatures through -1/-1 counters. Combat tricks further enhance the deck's potency.

Weaknesses

    While the deck is fast, its infect creatures are small and not infinite. Early blockers, even as simple as a Llanowar Elf, can delay the initial wave of proliferates. As the game progresses, leveraging stronger threats and forming alliances against the infect player becomes a viable strategy. Additionally, Infect doesn't cause life loss, allowing opponents to recover even if the infect player is eliminated.

Plan of Attack

    The deck unfolds in three phases: early game, middle game, and endgame. In the early game, focus on preventing the opponent's infect creatures from connecting through trades or removal. In the middle game, establish your board while Atraxa's presence diverts attention. In the endgame, keep Atraxa off the field, leveraging bigger threats for victory.

Kryptonite

 If you're struggling against Atraxa Infect, consider these cards as absolute kryptonite:

Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite: Ironically combating Phyrexia with Phyrexia, Elesh Norn's -2/-2 wipes out small infect creatures.


Melira, Sylvok Outcast: A literal anti-infect card, preventing poison counters and -1/-1 altogether.


Leeches: An unusual card from homelands, this three-mana sorcery removes all poison counters and replaces them with damage.


Solemnity: An enchantment preventing counters altogether, halting infect and enabling some potent combos.


Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider: Another Phyrexian on the list, this card hampers counters applied to players, blanking 1-power infect and proliferation.

    And there you have it! The Commander Kryptonite breakdown of Atraxa, Praetor’s Voice. If you have suggestions for the next commander to explore, let us know by sending an email to thoughtvesselshow@gmail.com. Until next time, this is Levi, aka Senator Spike.