01 / The diagnosis
Most expensive-creature decks have a simple problem: their creatures are expensive. Alena, Kessig Trapper changes the equation, but only after you get a creature onto the battlefield. Her tap ability makes red mana equal to the greatest power among creatures you control that entered this turn.
Gilanra, Caller of Wirewood is the ideal accomplice. She taps for green mana; when that mana is spent casting a spell with mana value six or greater, she draws you a card. That draw trigger happens before the big spell resolves. Neither partner is particularly strong alone; together, they turn one big creature into the next.
02 / The prescription
We are not building generic Gruul stompy. The rescue is a power-to-mana conveyor belt. Play an undercosted creature with unusually high power, tap Alena for a burst of red, then cast something even bigger. Use Gilanra's green on the six-plus-mana spell to replace part of what you spent.
Cards with awkward drawbacks get better here. Lupine Prototype is a two-mana 5/5 that may struggle to attack, but Alena doesn't care whether it can attack. Phyrexian Soulgorger arrives as an 8/8 for three mana; even if you eventually sacrifice it to cumulative upkeep, it can fuel an explosive turn first. Hunted Troll provides eight power for four mana, though you must plan around the Faeries it gives an opponent.
A cheap 8/8 is more than a body. With Alena ready, it's eight red mana waiting to happen.
03 / The game plan
Develop lands and cheap ramp. Lead with Gilanra when you can. Give Alena haste or the ability to tap immediately through Thousand-Year Elixir; five mana is a lot to invest in a creature that may die before activating.
With Alena ready, play Lupine Prototype, Phyrexian Soulgorger or Hunted Troll. Tap Alena for five to eight red mana. Spend that red on the generic portions of a large spell and spend Gilanra's green too if you want the draw trigger.
Use Garruk's Uprising, Elemental Bond and Rishkar's Expertise to refill. Finish with an Artisan of Kozilek, Apex Devastator or Titan of Industry rather than waiting for an infinite combo. Kessig Wolf Run turns surplus mana into trample damage.
04 / Six pieces worth rescuing
These aren't the most expensive staples in the format. They're the cards that demonstrate why this particular commander works.
A two-mana 5/5. Its attack restriction is nearly irrelevant when the immediate goal is to give Alena five red mana.
An 8/8 for three mana. The cumulative-upkeep cost is real, but Alena can convert its power into eight mana on its entry turn.
Lets Alena activate her tap ability as though she had haste, then offers an extra untap when you have the mana.
Draws off power-four-plus creatures entering and gives your team trample—both matter in a deck full of oversized bodies.
Turns your largest creature's power into a fresh hand, with a bonus free spell of mana value five or less.
Converts Alena's leftover mana into a finishing attack with trample instead of letting the turn fizzle.
05 / Rules that matter
06 / What kills this plan?
- Do not fill the deck with only ten-drops. Without a high-power low-cost creature, Alena never starts producing the absurd mana you built around.
- Protect Alena. Haste equipment and protection are worth slots because the entire deck is much weaker when you have to pay commander tax repeatedly.
- Red burst mana does not pay heavy green requirements. Aim for enough green sources to cast your GGG finishers and to activate Gilanra early.
- Don't forget Alena cares about newly entered creatures, not whether they attacked or dealt damage.
07 / The $100 build challenge
This is a 32-card starter package for two partnered commanders, not a verified $100 list or a full, playtested 100-card deck. Prices vary by printing and over time. Try inexpensive functional reprints first; prioritize a consistent mana base, protection, and whatever effect the commander uniquely rewards.
Copy the core or send it to our Deck Workshop. Then use the Fill to 100 helper to propose lands and missing roles; review every suggestion before accepting it.
View all 32 starter cards and roles
| Role | Card — opens Scryfall |
|---|
Each listed card appears once unless it is a commander. This incomplete package needs lands and additional spells before it is a valid 100-card deck.
Our verdict
The forgotten partners reward a very specific kind of greedy play: use the little creature that arrived this turn to buy the giant creature that arrives next. The best version feels less like ramp and more like building a machine that keeps outrunning its own mana curve.
Deep Cuts EDH is fan commentary, not official Wizards guidance. Deck strategies and power estimates are editorial, not independently playtested.