I have become bored with commander as of late. I have had some of the same decks for 4-5 years and I decided it was time for a change of pace. I hadn’t built a Voltron general yet, and, as soon as I saw Daxos in the Theros spoilers, I knew that he would be my next commander. For those of you who are newer to Commander, Voltron makes reference to the old cartoon in which all these smaller robots combine to make a bigger more powerful robot (like Megazord from the Power Rangers series).


I like using other people's things against them. My opponents can’t complain; they brought this upon themselves (Wrexial and Melek are some of my current favorite commanders as well). Also, the gain life ability is very relevant as well, and Daxos is practically unblockable in this format. Since Daxos is a lowly 2/2, I went with an equipment theme to bump him up and protect him. One interesting thing about Daxos is what happens if you put someone’s Commander on top of their library. If you then attack that opponent with Daxos, even if they move their Commander to the Command Zone, Daxos tracks it and you can still cast that player’s Commander that turn. As a result, Daxos is just full of shenanigans. I designed this deck to be fun, so it may not be fully optimized to abuse the Commander. However, I like to do goofy stuff when I play this wild and crazy format. Here is the decklist:

Commander
Daxos of Meletis

Aven Mindcensor
Daxos of Meletis
Drogskol Reaver
Eternal Dragon
Geist of Saint Traft
Glen Elendra Archmage
Lu Xun, Scholar General
Medomai the Ageless
Mirran Crusader
Phyrexian Metamorph
Puresteel Paladin
Silverblade Paladin
Soltari Visionary
Stonecloaker
Stoneforge Mystic
Stonehewer Giant
Sun Titan
Taj-Nar Swordsmith
Thada Adel, Acquisitor
Trinket Mage
True-Name Nemesis

Elspeth, Sun's Champion
Elspeth, Knight-Errant
Tezzeret the Seeker

All Is Dust
Austere Command
Azorius Keyrune
Azorius Signet
Batterskull
Champion's Helm
Coalition Relic
Enlightened Tutor
Everflowing Chalice
Fireshrieker
Future Sight
Hallowed Burial
Haunted Plate Mail
Helm of Kaldra
Lantern of Insight
Lapse of Certainty
Lightning Greaves
Loxodon Warhammer
Mana Vault
Mask of Memory
Memory Lapse
Mystical Tutor
Oust
Path to Exile
Return to Dust
Sensei's Divining Top
Shield of Kaldra
Sol Ring
Steelshaper's Gift
Supreme Verdict
Swiftfoot Boots
Sword of Feast and Famine
Sword of Fire and Ice
Sword of Kaldra
Sword of Light and Shadow
Swords to Plowshares
Terminus
Umezawa's Jitte
Unexpectedly Absent

Academy Ruins
Azorius Chancery
Azorius Guildgate
Calciform Pools
Celestial Colonnade
Command Tower
Faerie Conclave
Glacial Fortress
Hallowed Fountain
High Market
Island (5)
Kor Haven
Lonely Sandbar
Nimbus Maze
Plains (10)
Reflecting Pool
Seachrome Coast
Secluded Steppe
Strip Mine
Tectonic Edge
Temple of the False God
Wasteland

Now let’s take a look at the individual card choices. Let’s start with Equipment since it is so vital to the Voltron strategy.

Equipment

Batterskull - This card is insane in Legacy and just as insane in Commander. It comes with a body and turns any creature into a powerhouse that must be answered. You can also bounce it to get another Germ token if someone Wraths the board as well. (That never happens in Commander, right?)

Champion’s Helm - I initially underestimated this card because I don’t run very many Legendary creatures in my deck. What I didn’t realize is that its equip cost is only one mana. +2/+2 for one mana is pretty good, I hear, and it makes Daxos virtually unstoppable.
Fireshrieker - I get two triggers off Daxos/Jitte/Swords of X and Y? Sign me up!!

Haunted Plate Mail - This may come out, but I love the fact that after a sweeper, I can just animate, equip, and bash! This guy lets the beats keep coming.

Kaldra Pieces (Helm, Shield, Sword) - All the pieces have their own merits, especially the shield because it is indestructible. Plus, you can assemble Kaldra if you get all three pieces in play. This is not that hard to do with all the tutors in the deck. Who doesn’t love a 9/9 Indestructible creature with trample, haste, and first strike that can also remove other creatures from the game?

Lightning Greaves - If most of your Commander decks don’t have this, you are doing it wrong. This is one of the quintessential staples of the format. Any creature gains haste and shroud for two mana. What a deal!

Loxodon Warhammer - Trample is a great way to push damage through and gaining life in the process is just an added bonus. [i](editor's note: Plus, trample helps make sure Daxos triggers, even if he is chump blocked.)[/i]

Mask of Memory - I love to draw cards and this allows me to do it possibly every turn after I play this. The discard is sometimes not a drawback due to cards like Sword of Light and Shadow and Sun Titan, which allow me to bring back the things I discard.
Swiftfoot Boots - (aka Lightning Greaves 2: Electric Boogaloo) - In this deck, I actually prefer this over Lightning Graves because shroud prevents me from equipping.

Sword of Feast and Famine - Allows me to play multiple spells in a turn and keep my opponents’ hands in check.

Sword of Fire and Ice - Provides a steady stream of cards and the 2 damage can be very handy sometimes.

Sword of Light and Shadow - The ability to reuse creatures is another staple of the format and gaining a little life is just the cherry on top of this card advantage sundae.

Umezawa’s Jitte – It slices, it dices, and if you order right now we will throw in a free shuriken. Seriously, this card will dominate any board involving creatures if left unchecked.

Creatures

Aven Mindscensor - A fun little trick and an instant speed flyer to boot.

Drogskol Reaver - This guy is the real deal. Put just about any piece of equipment in the deck on it and watch the card advantage pile up.

Eternal Dragon - Any Commander deck I build that has white in it has this Dragon as well. It fixes my mana and is a recurrable threat for the late game.
Geist of Saint Traft - He makes a flier every time he swings and, once suited up, is nigh impossible to stop.

Glen Elendra Archmage - She has evasion and is my anti-Wrath tech. She may get cut because I typically do not have several creatures on the board at once.

Lu Xun, Scholar General - I am so glad this guy was printed in the most recent Commander decks because now I can afford him. Who doesn’t want to attack with an unblockable guy who draws you cards?
Medomai, the Ageless - I can’t wait to attack someone when this is paired with Silverblade Paladin or equipped with Fireshrieker. Time Stretch anyone?

Mirran Crusader - This card is just insane with equipment.

Phyrexian Metamorph - This lets me clone a creature or an artifact. The other day I copied my opponent’s Darksteel Forge to protect all my equipment that I had on the board. Fun times!!

Puresteel Paladin - It goes great with the number of equipment I run in the deck and I have Metalcraft most of the time due to mana rocks, equipment, and the artifact lands.

Thada Adel, Acquisitor - This gal is just bonkers! I don’t think I will ever have a deck that runs blue without including this card. A lot of Commander decks run Islands and you just get to steal all the mana rocks or Oblivion Stones for when things get out of hand.
Trinket Mage - The little mage that could… fetch out all kinds of fun artifacts. Mainly, I use it to find the artifact lands, Sol Ring, or my Top, depending on what I need at the moment.

True-Name Nemesis - This card is amazing in Legacy and almost as good in Commander. I usually wait and play this guy when there are only 1-2 opponents left. It is a very efficient beater as well.

Silverblade Paladin - This card just brings the pain and then brings it again, especially when equipped with any of the Swords of X and Y.

Soltari Visionary - Enchantments are one of the harder permanent types to destroy in Commander, and this card allows you to get some damage in as well.

Stonecloaker - This is just another great utility card. He is reusable graveyard removal. He can save one of your other creatures, and he has evasion. Need I say more?
Stoneforge Mystic - This doubles as an equipment tutor and a way to cheat equipment into play. Sold!

Stonehewer Giant - This card is a “giant” threat in this deck. It will just dominate any game when left in play for more than a turn. Tutor on a relatively big stick? Yes please!

Sun Titan - Card Advantage on a really big stick. Combine it with Lightning Greaves or Swiftfoot Boots for double the fun!

Taj-Nar Swordsmith - Yet another equipment tutor and a body to equip it to.

Planeswalkers

Elspeth, Knight Errant - She makes dudes for you to put equipment on and then gives them evasion. Seems good.
Elspeth, Sun’s Champion - She makes even more dudes for you to put equipment on and can also wrath all the big dudes. Seem really good.

Tezzeret the Seeker - Tutors for artifacts and can help me ramp as well with the mana rocks and the artifact lands.

Enchantment

Future Sight - This is another staple card for any blue Commander deck. This can generate insane amounts of card advantage if left unchecked. It also allows you to draw a card at the cost of one mana with Sensei’s Divining Top.

Non-Equipment Artifacts

Latern of Insight - This is one of the funniest cards I have encountered in Commander so far. It is amazing in this deck because it gives you all the information you need. Most important though is who do I attack Daxos with each turn.
Mana Rocks (Azorius Keyrune, Azorius Signet, Coalition Relic, Everflowing Chalice, Mana Vault, and Sol Ring) - These accelerate and help fix my mana, and the keyrune provides another body to suit up.

Sensei’s Divining Top - It combos with Future Sight and allows you to look at several cards with all the tutor effect in the deck.

Sorceries

All is Dust - Remember how I said earlier that enchantments are hard to deal with? This lets you get all those, most creatures, and leaves all your artifact goodies unscathed.

Austure Command - One of the best sweepers in the format due to its flexibility and versatility.
Hallowed Burial - What’s better than destroying all creatures? Tucking them in for a nap. (editor's note: especially other Commanders)

Oust - Can I have that creature in a couple of turns? Thanks. Oh, and here is three life. Sounds like a fair deal to me.

Steelshaper’s Gift - Equipment tutor and another shuffle effect for us to use our Top more efficiently.

Terminus - See Hallowed Burial except that sometimes it only cost one mana.

Instants

Enlightened Tutor - A tutor for a lot of useful things.

Lapse of Certainity - A counterspell which turns into a Spelljack when combined with my Commander.
Memory Lapse - See above.

Mystical Tutor - When you need to miracle a Terminus, this will get the job done. Or, if you need to find an uncounterable Wrath.

Path to Exile - One of the best spot removal spells in the format.

Return to Dust - Excellent artifact/enchantment removal as a two for one, and it also exiles those cards. This is very relevant in a format where the graveyard is a second library most of the time.

Swords to Plowshares - One of the most efficient removal spells ever printed.

Unexpectedly Absent - Fun times with Daxos!

Non-Basic Lands

Academy Ruins - It lets us bring back equipment.
Ancient Den/Seat of the Synod - These are a little bit of a liability but they can be tutored up by Tezzie and his li'l bro, Trinket Mage.

Celestial Colonnade - A beater and a dual land all in one neat little package.

Faerie Conclave - Nice flying body to attach equipment to in the late game. (Editor's note: Just remember - the equipment falls off when it returns to being just a land.)

High Market - Allows me to make sure that my creatures stay under my control.

Kor Haven - This land allowed me to race an Akroma, Angel of Vengeance, so this Maze of Ith that taps for mana is not going anywhere anytime soon.
Strip Mine/Tectonic Edge/Wasteland - There are some excellent utilities lands out there, and they must be destroyed!

I do want to add a Flooded Strand and a Tundra at some point, but just don’t own those cards at the moment.

This deck has been a blast to play so far and has been a great way for me to step outside my comfort zone as a control player. Please feel free to suggest cards for me to try out because this list is still a work in progress.

Jonathan Holland
L2 MTG Judge
@urzaru on Twitter
Jonathandholland21 at gmail dot com