Magic: The Gathering - Fynn, The Fangbearer Commander Deck Guide

There are many ways to defeat an opponent in Magic: The Gathering. The most common method is to simply run them dry of hit points, followed by milling their entire libraries, but perhaps the most insidious path to victory involves one of the oldest counters in the game's decades-long history: poison.

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Poison counters are especially effective in Magic's Commander format as it only takes 10 poison counters to eliminate a player, which is generally much easier than dealing 40 damage or milling 100 cards. Combining poison counters with deathtouch is an excellent strategy, making Fynn the Fangbearer an excellent commander for your next Magic night.

The Commander: Fynn, the Fangbearer

Fynn, the Fangbearer is a simple, cheap, and effective commander. He's a two-mana 1/3 Human Warrior creature with deathtouch that enhances every one of your creatures with deathtouch (including himself) with theadded ability to bestow two poison counters to players unlucky enough to be dealt combat damage.

This is extremely strong for a number of reasons. Firstly, deathtouch is just an excellent keyword for a creature to have in a multiplayer Commander game. Deathtouch is inherently defensive as it raises the stakes for any creature who attacks you. Players tend to avoid risking their 12/12 monstrosity if a 1/1 critter with deathtouch is all it takes to kill it.

So a deck full of deathtouch creatures is going to be something that most players will be hesitant to attack. But on top of that, making all your deathtouch creatures deal poison damage gives them all a massive power boost.

Remember: it's just 10 poison counters to kill an opponent rather than 40 damage, so two poison counters are the equivalent of doing eight damage the hard way.

To summarize, a deck full of deathtouch creatures is going to have enhanced defensive capabilities than most other decks, and dealing poison damage means you've got a leg-up in the damage race. Combine that with an easy-to-cast commander, plenty of options to get damage through, and a few sources of proliferate, and you've got a consistently dangerous deck.

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Building Your Fynn, the Fangbearer Commander Deck

The obvious necessity for any Fynn, the Fangbearer deck is creatures with deathtouch. There's no shortage of that in mono-green, with deathtouch creatures ranging from dirt cheap to expensive in both mana and monetary value.

Proliferate is also an excellent keyword to consider. Proliferate allows you to directly increase every opponent's poison counters without even needing to engage in combat. It's like direct damage but without the actual 'damage' part.

Beyond that, you're going to benefit from everything a mono-green mage can benefit from—easy ramp, some combat tricks, and card draw that'll often be tied to either damage caused by creatures or by casting creatures.

Deathtouch And Other Poison-Producing Creatures

There are so many 1/1 creatures with deathtouch in green that Moss Viper and Sedge Scorpion aren't the baseline for one-mana deathtouch critters anymore. Instead, look at Narnam Renegade, Gnarlwood Dryad, Wasteland Viper, and Venerated Rotpriest. Each of these are 1/1s for one mana but offers far more than just the deathtouch keyword.

Getting to two mana gives either a second keyword with Deadly Recluse or Ambush Viper, or it offers ramp as in Poison Dart Frog and Nightshade Dryad, or flexible removal as with Cankerbloom and Kappa Tech-Wrecker.

Three mana is when things start to get wild. Skullwinder, Bloodroot Apothecary, Okahame Adversary, and Ichorspit Basilisk all offer way more than just deathtouch, as do four-mana drops like Saryth, the Viper's Fang and Questing Beast.

By the time you get to five mana and above, your poison counters go into overdrive thanks to Contaminant Grafter, Phyrexian Swarmlord, Hornet Queen, and Tyrranax Rex. With Fynn on the table, these creatures can help end games quickly.

Proliferate

Eventually, opponents will block your creatures even if it means losing their own. Once an opponent has defenses to prevent your deathtouch critters from getting through, it's time to swap to proliferate.

Proliferate increases the number of poison counters for each opponent by one without actually needing to deal damage.

Evolution Sage is an extremely good creature that triggers proliferate with every land drop, and Cankerbloom offers either proliferate or artifact and enchantment hate, depending on what you need.

Most of your proliferation will be in sorcery form, however. Thirsting Roots, Smell Fear, Unnatural Restoration, and Carnivorous Canopy provide one beneficial effect or a proliferate trigger.

There are also artifacts such as Contagion Clasp and Contagion Engine for repeated proliferate triggers, as well as Karn's Bastion for another source of repeated proliferates.

Ramp, Card Draw, And Good Green Stuff

Staple green cards can round out this deck. Acidic Slime provides both deathtouch and removal. Heroic Intervention and Overprotect provide combat tricks as well as protection for Fynn. Nature's Lore and Cultivate give ramp, and Harmonize, Guardian Project, and Snake Umbra provide card draw.

Green gets some decent removal spells with Beast Within, Infection Bite, and Kenrith's Transformation, while Archdruid's Charm provides removal or ramp. And don't forget either Triumph of the Hordes, Noxious Assault, or Planewide Celebration, any one of which can be a kill card.

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Fynn, the Fangbearer Commander Deck List

With all that in mind, here's a suggested deck list for Fynn, the Fangbearer.

Fynn, The Fangbearer Commander Deck List

Commander (1)

Fynn, The Fangbearer

Creatures (33)

Narnam Renegade

Gnarlwood Dryad

Wasteland Viper

Venerated Rotpriest

Ambush Viper

Cankerbloom

Deadly Recluse

Ruins Recluse

Thornweald Archer

Blight Mamba

Poison Dart Frog

Nightshade Dryad

Kappa Tech-Wrecker

Evolution Sage

Ichorspit Basilisk

Skullwinder

Bloodroot Apothecary

Oakhame Adversary

Saryth, the Viper's Fang

Beast Whisperer

Questing Beast

Acidic Slime

Bellowing Tanglewurm

Ohran Frostfang

Contaminant Grafter

Hornet Queen

Phyrexian Swarmlord

Tyrranax Rex

Planeswalkers (1)

Vivien, Champion of the Wilds

Sorcery (9)

Thirsting Roots

Smell Fear

Unnatural Restoration

Cultivate

Carnivorous Canopy

Harmonize

Triumph of the Hordes

Noxious Assault

Nature's Lore

Instants (6)

Infectious Bite

Cosmic Hunger

Heroic Intervention

Overprotect

Beast Within

Archdruid's Charm

Enchantments (6)

Wild Growth

Guardian Project

Hunter's Talent

Kenrith's Transformation

Snake Umbra

Asceticism

Artifacts (9)

Sol Ring

Glistening Sphere

Swiftfoot Boots

Hunter's Bow

Contagion Clasp

Rhona's Monument

Lifecrafter's Bestiary

Whispersilk Cloak

Contagion Engine

Lands (35)

Rogue's Passage

Access Tunnel

Escape Tunnel

Karn's Bastion

Oran-Rief, the Vastwood

War Room

Castle Garenbrig

Inkmoth Nexus

Boseiju, Who Endures

Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx

Forest (25)

Budget Substitutions

The core of any Fynn, the Fangbearer deck is relatively cheap from a monetary standpoint, but there are a few cards in the suggested deck list that might hit you with sticker shock. Here are a few less-pricey substitutions.

Expensive Card

Budget Substitution

Bloodroot Apothecary

Hornet Nest, Axebane Ferox, Flesh Burrower

Tyrranax Rex

God-Eternal Rhonas, Somerwald Beastmaster, Kura, the Boundless Sky

Triumph of the Hordes

Shamanic Revelation, Planewide Celebration

Heroic Intervention

Tamiyo's Safekeeping, Snakeskin Veil, Gaea's Gift, Horrid Vigor

Archdruid's Charm

Krosan Grip, Return to Nature

Guardian Project

Toski, Bearer of Secrets

Asceticism

Glorious Sunrise

Glistening Sphere

Arcane Signet, Phyrexian Atlas, Heraldic Banner

Boseiju, Who Endures

Tranquil Thicket

Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx

Myriad Landscape, Blighted Woodland, Temple of the False God

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Tips For Playing Fynn, the Fangbearer In Commander

• Try and sneak in a few poison counters in the early game before players can set up their defenses. A few poison counters can go a long way with proliferation or a spell like Noxious Assault.
• Don’t be too aggressive. Deathtouch works best on defense, and you’ll eventually be able to sneak creatures through with Whispersilk Cloak or Rogue’s Passage.
• Keep your proliferate spells for when you just need a few more poison counters to secure victory. That way, the only thing that your opponents can do to save themselves is to cast a counterspell.

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